Veritas
by ToryTigress92
Summary: Jane was only following her instincts when she willingly followed Loki to Asgard. But now she must help the broken Prince heal old wounds and fight some of her own demons to discover the truth of her feelings for the God of Mischief, if they're to have any hope of peace as war looms and the darkness beckons. Sequel to 'Lost Before the Dawn'.
1. Strange New World

Veritas

Warnings: none

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'The King of the Golden Hall' from 'Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers Original Motion Picture Soundtrack' and 'A Gift of a Thistle' from 'Braveheart OST'.

* * *

'_In order to know true love, you must know deep pain.'_

* * *

One thing Jane quickly realised about the Bifrost. It was mad and totally terrifying, and she absolutely loved it. Despite the thought that she was being rocketed across the Universe with enough velocity to crush her flatter than a pancake against a ceiling if she ever hit anything solid, she could have laughed.

She tried not to think about what she had just left behind. About Erik, Darcy, the Avengers or SHIELD. About Earth, or the fact that Asgard probably didn't have coffee if either Thor's or Loki's reaction to the drink had been any indication. She tried not to think about anything beyond the hard arms around her waist, and her own around his.

The end came quicker than expected, with a hard _jolt_ that almost sent Jane to her knees if it hadn't been for Loki. She felt faintly nauseous, as she blinked and gasped for breath.

"Forgive me, Jane," Loki breathed in her ear. "I had forgotten the effect travelling by Bifrost can have upon those unused to it."

"Warn me next time, yeah?" Jane replied archly, making Loki chuckle. Her legs buckled, and he bent to catch her up, ignoring her pointed thumping of his chest. "I got it! No need to go all chivalrous on me!"

A feminine chuckle forced them to pause in their spat, as Jane looked up for the first time and realised her surroundings. They were stood in a great, golden dome in front of a portal, spinning and whirling behind them in ever-slowing circles, until it stopped altogether. The walls gleamed, embossed and inscribed with archaic symbols and designs, some Jane recognised as Nordic, others far older and more ancient than anything any Earth archaeologist had ever seen.

But that wasn't what made Jane's jaw drop. Before them stood a battalion of golden helmed and armoured men, towering above her height, the tallest stepping forth and clutching a great sword. His eyes, as golden as the walls and the ceiling of the dome, swept restlessly from corner to corner, but Jane sensed he wasn't seeing just the confines of the room they stood in. Those unsettling eyes fixed on her, and she shivered.

"Welcome to Asgard, Jane Foster of Midgard. Welcome home…my Prince," the towering figure bowed, but only reluctantly, as Loki stiffened in her arms, his voice as tense as a bowstring.

"Heimdall," he murmured coldly. After a moment, the source of that feminine chuckle stepped out from behind the golden wall of metal and muscle, accompanied by someone very familiar to Jane. Thor.

"Hello, Jane. Welcome to Asgard," he smiled warmly at her, and Jane inclined her head with a grin, ignoring Loki's ever-tightening arms around her waist.

"Good to see you too, Thor," she murmured. "I'd hug you, but your brother's trying to suffocate me."

The iron ring around her waist abruptly loosened, and she could breathe again, with a pointed glare at Loki who merely returned it haughtily, utterly unrepentant. Jane rolled her eyes.

"Men," she muttered under her breath, and the woman stood beside Thor chuckled again. She was tall, although slightly shorter than Thor, Loki and Heimdall, with flowing golden curls that fell down her back riotously. She looked older than Jane, but she was still beautiful, her mature body lithe and slender, framed expertly in a gown of ocean blue silk accented with golden filigree bracers and pauldrons. A knife was belted at her waist. Her eyes were as far-seeing and ancient as Heimdall's, but loving and wise as they looked to her first, then to Loki.

"I see what you meant, Thor," she said quietly, before meeting Loki's gaze squarely. "You have chosen wisely, my son."

Loki tensed in Jane's hold, and she tried to send him all the strength she had to give, hoping he could handle this. She guessed this must be Frigg, the Queen of Asgard and Loki and Thor's mother.

Frigg's eyes were loving and gentle as they looked on Loki, and Jane could feel him shaking slightly in her grip. Thinking frantically, she let go of Loki and stepped forward, curtseying a little awkwardly.

"Your Majesty," she inclined her head. "It's an honour to meet you. Both your sons have told me so much about you."

Frigg's eyes snapped to her, and she smiled warmly, releasing her uncomfortable son from her gaze, and stepping forward to reach out to Jane. To the mortal's surprise, she embraced her tightly. "It is good to finally meet the woman who has wrought such change in both of my sons. Thor has told me much about your kindness and intelligence during his time on Midgard as a mortal."

After a moment, Jane hugged back, squeezing back sudden tears. It had been a long time since she'd felt the embrace of a mother, and Frigg was all Mom. Perhaps more a Super-Mom, but still a mom.

When Frigg drew back, her eyes were sad even as her smile was warm, as she gently cupped Jane's cheek, brushing a stray curl back behind her ear. "Oh my dear child, I fear you have battle scars of your own, that need healing. You have neglected yourself too long," she told her quietly, as Jane swallowed thickly, and stepped back, needing space and air before she completely lost it. Loki's arm snaked around her waist again, and she didn't dare look up into his eyes.

Thor stepped forward, his arm outstretched, as he opened his mouth and then hesitated. "Loki," he finally said. "It is good to see you home again."

For a wild moment, Jane wondered if Loki would throw Thor's tentative, silent offer of truce back in his face, before he relaxed against her and lightly took Thor's arm in return. "I…have missed Asgard," he breathed. "But I doubt it has missed me."

Thor sighed and shook his head. "Come, we must go. I am sorry for the guardsmen, Loki, but it is-"

"No need to explain, Thor," Loki cut him off with a self-deprecating smirk that chilled Jane's heart. "Lead the way."

At that, Loki stepped forward but Frigg stepped into his path. "Loki, this is not the way we wished to welcome you home," she told him firmly and not unkindly. "But as you must have acknowledged since you returned here willingly, you have crimes to atone for and judgement to receive."

"As have others, my Queen," Loki retorted, as Jane winced at the flare of pain in Frigg's eyes.

"Please, enough," Jane cut in, with a pleading look at Loki. "You didn't come here to hurt them, Loki. Remember that."

Loki looked for a moment like he would argue, or snap something vicious back at her, as she was reminded of the creature he had been when they first met, but as she stared at him, defiant and unyielding, something in him seemed to give way and he nodded once, coolly proud.

Taking a deep breath, Jane turned back to Thor and Frigg, both watching her with unreadable looks on their faces, and said, "Lead the way."

* * *

Asgard was more beautiful than anything Jane could have imagined. It stretched out before her in one glorious, glittering tapestry of towers and battlements on sandy shores, edged by an azure ocean that Jane itched to dive into, the waves crashing against the supporting pillars of the Asbru Bridge beneath her feet, truly a rainbow bridge as it flared in multi-coloured, irregular shapes beneath her feet, like dream shapes. Behind the city, she could see great mountains cloaked in forests, and above her head, the endless dance of the Universe wheeled over them.

"This is amazing," Jane breathed. "Truly incredible."

The darkness she had glimpsed earlier in Loki appeared to have receded for the moment, as he smirked at her. "Oh, shut up!" she grumbled. "Let the human look like an idiot for a second here!"

Loki bent his head to hers and kissed her soundly, making her gasp in surprise as he pulled her to him. When their lips parted, she stared at him, eyes wide, mouth agape. He just chuckled again.

"You do look alarmingly like a fish when you do that," he told her archly, and she glared at him, her gaze darting sideways to their audience. Frigg was watching them with a small smile, but Thor looked away.

Horses awaited them, and they all mounted, Jane with a certain lack of grace since it had been years since she'd been anywhere near a horse. As they galloped through the city, Jane craned her head from the circle of Loki's arms to look around her, at the tall, elegant buildings, all golden in the warm sunlight, as they approached the towering citadel of the Aesir.

As they trotted inside the gates, towering bronze things that Jane had to crane her head back to see fully, she caught glimpses of whitewashed walls and flowering gardens separated by pools and fountains, courtiers milling about amongst the flowerbeds, as brightly clothed as the flowers themselves. The horses came to a stop in a white courtyard, where yet more men in armour awaited them. With a sad smile from Frigg, Jane dismounted, Loki landing beside her.

Looking up at his face, she was not surprised to see a bitter kind of resignation. Clearly the All-Father still felt he was dangerous, which he had a point about, but this distrust really wasn't helping matters. Her heart ached for him.

"Come," Thor called, gesturing to them to join him as he ascended the steps. Jane froze when she felt a hand clamp around her arm, forcing her forwards. With a small snarl, she tore her arm away pointedly.

"I can walk unaided, thanks very much!" she snapped at the guardsman who had tried to lead her. Loki stepped across in front of her, glaring coldly down at him.

"Touch her again, Ranvald," he growled, low and menacing. "And I will not hesitate to remove your head from your shoulders."

"You are prisoners, and traitors here, Silvertongue," Ranvald replied contemptuously. "I need not fear your threats."

"Oh that wasn't a threat, merely a promise," Loki's lip curled into a sneer, and Jane felt that darkness that clung to him coil and tense itself like a snake.

"Enough!" Thor's voice boomed across the courtyard. "Lady Jane is not a prisoner of Asgard, nor is she a traitor. You will treat her with respect, Captain, or face discipline."

"You forget to whom you speak," Frigg also stepped forward, imperious and commanding as she looked down on them. "You will address _**my **_son and his companion with the respect due a Prince of Asgard and an honoured guest. Is that clear?"

"Yes, my Queen," Ranvald bowed, a touch reluctantly to Jane's eye. "My Prince," he breathed to Thor before meeting Loki's eye and very slowly and slightly, bowing to him too. "My _**Prince**_."

The word was laden with contempt but Loki just smirked and stepped close, whispering something in his ear. When he drew away, Jane was not surprised to see that Ranvald had gone pale and his eyes wide with terror, as Loki turned away and drew her with him.

There were no more delays after that, as they walked quickly through the citadel behind Frigg and Thor. Jane felt curious glances in her direction as they walked through the crowd of courtiers and guardsmen, all watching them, all whispering when they caught sight of their former fallen King.

Her skin prickled. Some of the glances were openly contemptuous, others speculative, while others were wondering and delighted. Clearly Loki was not despised by all of Asgard then.

Finally they stopped on the threshold of a wide, cavernous hall, the gold walls gleaming in the light of the sun above, red drapes flowing in the sea breeze. Before them, atop a dais approached by many steps, was a wide, impressive throne of gold, on which sat a man in armour and long robes, clutching a tall staff. She could see he was old, and white-haired, with only one eye as he rose from his seat.

It hit her suddenly, where they were and who she was about see, thanks to Erik's stories from his childhood. They were in the hall of Gladsheim, and they were approaching the seat of Odin All-Father, King of Asgard and protector of the Nine Realms.

They were marched down the steps to the floor, inlaid with intricate, whirling designs in gold against the ebony, as all the others knelt in respect, bar Frigg who ascended the steps to take a place beside the throne, facing them, and Loki and Jane.

The urge to bow, to show respect, was strong but she resisted it, and felt Loki's pleased glance.

"Odin All-Father, your prodigal pet returns. Have you nothing to say?" Loki's voice rang out across the hall, shocking a tumult of scandalised whispers. Jane rolled her eyes and winced.

Jane looked up and did not see the King of legend, but an old man, wearied by millennia and carrying a burden too great for his aging shoulders. A man who made mistakes and committed crimes in the name of peace and order, and she felt nothing but pity.

The staff, which Jane guessed was Gungnir, clanged as it was driven lightly into the floor, as silence fell.

"Leave us!" the All-Father called, and the guardsmen and courtiers reluctantly retreated, leaving them alone in the hall with Frigg and Thor.

Jane recognised a tall, slender woman with raven hair watching them suspiciously before she too retreated, with a nod from Thor. Lady Sif, she remembered from a time that already felt too distant to be real.

"You left Asgard a King, and now return a prisoner," the All-Father began, leaving Gungnir by his throne as he slowly descended towards them. "And all you have to give is vitriol and bitterness. Is this what you have become?"

"Why, ashamed of what you have wrought, _**father**_?" Loki snarled coldly, contemptuous and mocking. "And one is not a prisoner when one returns of their own free will."

"Your crimes, both against Asgard and Midgard, are grievous, Loki," the All-Father continued, ignoring his jibe. "The secret entry of Jotunns into the citadel, and the attempted conquest of Earth-"

"Are no different than the very crimes you yourself once committed, All-Father, or did we not once allow the humans to worship us as Gods, or take young infants from their worlds to be raised as pawns?" Loki countered; forcing the man he had called Father into silence. "Tell me, how long do you believe your rule will endure if the people knew what you have done, even to the hated Frost Giants? That you set up one of their most hated enemy as a potential heir to the throne?"

"And yet you still scorn your birth as much as you scorn me," the All-Father replied. Loki snorted, standing tall and proud before them all, ignoring Thor's pained glances and Frigg's sorrow.

"I scorn everything that so easily underestimates me and what I am capable of. I decide my fate and my path, Odin All-Father," he pronounced coldly and proudly. "No one and nothing else."

"Then why have you returned?" he asked with a weary sigh.

"To pay penance for the crimes I committed against Midgard and Asgard. Despite what we have long believed, we are not Gods and we do not have the right to abuse our power in pretending to be so," he replied. "But I do so because it is _**my **_choice to do so. I could have run, and you would not have caught me."

"No," the All-Father sighed, reaching out to Loki and cupping his face. Jane glanced at him, and saw Loki tense but he did not move. "For all the poison in your words, Loki, I have missed you. You shall always be a son to me, whether you will it or no."

"Odin-" Frigg gently spoke up, but the All-Father cut her off.

"No, my gentle Queen. Loki's punishment must fit his crimes," he sighed, as Jane felt rage lance through her.

"Might I be permitted to speak?" she suddenly called out, summoning all her strength. The All-Father's gaze was focussed on her for the first time, and she raised her chin defiantly. "I'll speak anyway, but you know, I thought I'd be polite first."

Loki and Thor chuckled, as Frigg smiled behind Odin's back.

"Very well," the All-Father sighed, gesturing for her to go ahead and speak. She spared him a slightly incredulous look, before starting her piece.

"Look, I know what's happened and everything Loki's done, and the choices he made have led him to that, I get it and so does he," Jane started carefully, thinking about her next words. "But isn't everyone, or at least almost everyone, in this room partially to blame?"

"You can not know reasons or the circumstances of Loki's past, mortal-" the All-Father interrupted her, but she cut him off again.

"Actually, yeah I do. I looked into the heart of the Tesseract," she told him shortly, and it was like a cord had been snapped. Everyone truly stood to attention, staring at her but for Loki and Thor.

"You looked into the heart of the Tesseract?" Frigg asked, almost tremulously, shock and awe in her eyes.

"It is not possible. No mortal could withstand the Tesseract's power," the All-Father shook his head, while Jane sighed exasperatedly and folded her arms. She caught Loki's smirk and sent a glare his way.

"Yet here I am," she muttered sarcastically. "Look, anyway I know what happened, to Loki, about Jotunheim, about Thor and the Destroyer and the Frost Giants. The Tesseract showed me everything, and no disrespect All-Father, but telling someone no as they're hanging off a precipice over a black hole probably wasn't the wisest choice of words. And I'm sorry, but who gave you the right to dictate his future like that? What if he didn't want to rule Jotunheim? Is duty so important that his own choice would never have mattered? Despite what my people used to believe, you are not Gods, and quite frankly if being a God means you have the right to destroy or dictate other people's lives, I don't believe in them. You share at least a portion of the blame for Loki's actions."

"And that's not even starting on the fact that Loki was deceived. I mean, yes I know he still chose to invade Earth and kill a lot of people, and that will stay with him for the rest of his life, but he made those decisions based on a lie. Thanos manipulated his memories, tortured and brutalised him until he became the monster he always believed himself to be," she continued, unable to look at Loki to gauge his reaction to her words. "But he overcame it. He fought back and broke Thanos's hold over his memories and helped us stop the Chitauri from destroying New York. That's got to be worth something, surely?"

"He also kidnapped and threatened you, Jane Foster, and yet here you stand, defending him," the All-Father replied, with a curious look on his face. Jane shrugged.

"I know that, but he also protected me, healed my injuries and listened to me when it mattered most," she argued back, as she stepped back and felt blindly for Loki's arm. His hand caught and enclosed hers, as she finally plucked up the courage to meet his eye, and the sheer desolation, mingled with shock and awe, made her shiver. "He could have enslaved me, but he didn't. He could have killed me at any moment, but he didn't," she continued, smiling softly up at him before she looked back to the All-Father, at Frigg's shining eyes and Thor's soft smile. "Loki is not irredeemable, and to use an old Earth saying that he'll probably want to murder me for using, he's only human so to speak. We have all made mistakes, it's just with the power you guys hold, those mistakes cost a heck of a lot more. I won't say he doesn't deserve some kind of punishment, because he does and Loki acknowledges that otherwise he wouldn't be here. But please take everything I've told you into consideration, before you turn him into a single cell amoeba for the rest of his life."

That last surprised a chuckle from Loki, as her gaze flew to him and she smiled weakly with relief. She'd thought he might be a little angry with her words, or at least resentful she'd stolen some of his thunder, but that desolation in his eyes had lightened, just a little. He placed a hand against her cheek, and she realised she was blushing slightly, unused to being scrutinised so intensely as she had been by the All-Father, not to mention Frigg, Thor and Loki himself. They'd all listened to her intently, despite the suspicion Jane had that the All-Father would have rarely listened to the words of a mortal before today.

"It is true, Father," Thor suddenly spoke up, turning to face his father urgently. "Every word the Lady Jane has spoken is the truth, much of which I witnessed myself."

"There…may be some truth to her words, my son," the All-Father conceded, as Jane gaped then mentally smirked. Jane 1, All-Father 0. He suddenly speared her with his gaze, and she froze, but retained her defiant stance. She wouldn't be intimidated by him. They stood there, Aesir to mortal, staring at each other before he exhaled wearily, a twinkle that had not been there before in his eyes. "You are a curious being, Jane Foster of Midgard. You speak with tenacity and strength before immortals far older and wiser than you, with power that could destroy you. You taught my firstborn son humility and nobility, and my second son to regain his will and his strength. You have looked into the heart of the Tesseract truly, and survived whole and free, your mind unbroken. You are a curious creature, child."

"Thanks, I think," Jane frowned slightly. "Now I know where Loki gets his talent for backhanded compliments from."

Frigg chuckled, as even the All-Father nearly cracked a smile. Loki smirked, mock-glaring at her and Thor laughed openly.

"Hey, don't you start," she called over to the blonde Prince. "Loki might have his talent when it comes to compliments, but you definitely inherited his complete lack of subtlety and manners! Coffee cup ring a bell? At least Loki didn't smash it the first time he had coffee. And the whole 'I am the mighty Thor, you dare to challenge me with such a puny weapon' act when you arrived? At least until Darcy tasered you, that is."

Thor stopped laughing at that, as Loki really and truly laughed that time, Frigg joining in, as the two other men in the room both looked at each other for some idea what she was talking about.

"You are well-matched to keep my sons humble," Frigg smiled gently, as she stepped down from the dais, taking Jane's hand. "If it pleases you and my husband, I would know you better, Lady Jane."

Jane looked first to Loki, who nodded to her, before she looked to the All-Father. There was little more to say, she'd done her piece. She only hoped he listened.

"You are a new being, Jane Foster, without weariness or fear in the face of the unknown," the All-Father pronounced. "And you have some destiny intertwined with Asgard's that I cannot see. I will think on your testimony further. You may go, for now."

With one last look and touch of the hand from Loki, Jane let Frigg lead her away, feeling three pairs of eyes watching her leave the room.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	2. A Few Home Truths

Veritas

Warnings: None

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

_**A/N: So it's officially the 9th July where I am at the moment, so here's the next chapter. And no need to worry about more updates, I have 16/20 chapters written, with the 17th underway!**_

Chapter Playlist: 'Henry Meets Anne Boleyn' from 'The Tudors' and 'Crisis in Asgard' from 'Thor'.

* * *

'_The truth is rarely pure and never simple.'_

_- Oscar Wilde_

* * *

Jane wasn't entirely sure leaving Loki alone with Thor and the All-Father was the wisest idea, but then again, she couldn't have done much about it, if they wanted her gone.

She walked in silence beside the tall, imposingly beautiful lady Thor and Loki called mother. She wondered how much Frigg agreed with her husband, or whether she saw, like her, that punishment needed to be balanced out with healing.

Two guardsmen walked ahead of them, forcing the courtiers to make way for them, mouths agape and tongues wagging as they stared at the first mortal woman to come to Asgard in millennia. Jane glanced sideways and saw a wry smirk lingering on Frigg's graceful mouth.

Eventually they left the crowded public areas of the court, and into the private chambers of the Royal family, silent halls opening out onto shady courtyards with cool fountains, the walls draped in vibrant silks in reds, greens, blues and golds. Jane looked around but determinedly kept her mouth shut this time. No need to embarrass herself in front of the future mother-in-law. _And God, if that doesn't sound weird in my head…_

At last Frigg spoke, breaking the awkward silence between them. "You will have to grow used to such scrutiny here, Lady Jane. Your legend grows daily," she told her, and now Jane understood the wry smirk as they'd walked through the precincts of the court.

She blushed and ducked her head. "I'm no one special," she demurred. "I just did what I had to."

"And in the process, you saved an entire world and millions of lives, twice over," Frigg replied gently. "Do not disparage yourself so. I have watched your trials and your deeds concerning my sons, and you did many things you did not have to."

Jane shrugged, feeling so graceless and out of place next to the stately Queen beside her. Finally they stopped in a walled courtyard, shaded over by leafy boughs that extended over the walls, the walkways bordered by beds of lusciously coloured flowers in shades of white and gold. Before the fountain stood two chairs, draped in silk the colour of red wine, between which stood a small table, readied with a decanter, two glasses, bread and fruit.

"Sit, eat," Frigg gestured to a chair while she poured the wine. "You must be famished, child."

Jane hesitated, and then reached for a piece of bread. She _**was **_hungry.

"Thank you," she murmured when Frigg set down a goblet in front of her, taking a sip cautiously. Her eyes widened in shocked delight, and she took another, prompting a laugh from the Queen.

"I am glad to see our fare agrees with you, my Lady, but drink the wine slowly. It is stronger than anything on your native world."

Jane slowed down, already feeling the wine warm her, flowing like fire underneath her skin. "Please, call me Jane," she asked quietly. "Lady Jane sounds way too grand for an astrophysicist from New Mexico."

"Very well, Jane," Frigg smiled as she settled herself. "How can it be that a woman with such strength and such wisdom fails to see the truth of herself?"

Jane frowned questioningly.

"You brought Loki back," Frigg explained gently. "A task which I, my son and my husband failed in. You saw through the masks and the lies Loki built around himself to protect his heart, and you broke them down. And yet, you do exactly the same to yourself, child."

Jane shrugged. "I know what I am," she mumbled. "And that's nothing special. Not worthless, but not great. I'm just me, and I'm ok with that."

"Perhaps," Frigg eyed her narrowly, before she smiled tightly. "Now, tell me of your experiences with the Tesseract. It was thought none but the most powerful could look into its depths and return unscathed."

"It hurt, a lot. Loki was fond of giving me migraines," Jane replied dryly, wincing slightly at the memory. "I swear, he tries to put me to sleep again, I'll kill him myself."

Frigg laughed. "Yes, I'm afraid the fault there is mine. I taught him that trick when he was just a child, as a method of ensuring that Thor would go to sleep and stay asleep when they shared rooms as children. Thor was always a rambunctious child, difficult to calm."

Jane laughed this time. "I can imagine," she muttered. "Thor must have wondered where all the headaches were coming from."

"He did not realise it was Loki's doing until they were both nearly grown men in our reckoning. Thor chased Loki all over the citadel, but he never caught him. He always did fall for Loki's doubling spell."

Jane's smile was a little strained when she remembered a similar situation, Loki's words echoing in her mind. _"Are you ever not going to fall for that…?"_

"I can imagine. It's strange, even when they were trying to kill one another, they still sniped like brothers. A part of Loki still sees Thor as his brother, I think," she mused, as Frigg's gaze turned sad.

"I never wanted to see my sons take up arms against one another. To see them in battle together, fighting as one, was truly a sight to behold, even for one who does not love bloodshed and war as many in this city do," Frigg told her. "But I fear it was also the undoing of them. Loki was always belittled for his use of magic, even though it often meant the difference between victory and defeat, and Thor never truly did anything to disavow anyone of their views."

"Perhaps then, but he's changed," Jane argued. "Seeing Loki so full of hatred for him nearly broke him. Just like the loss of Thor as his blood brother broke Loki."

Frigg sighed. "That is true, Jane," she nodded. "But we have dwelled long enough on such dark matters. I brought you here to better know of you, so tell me, Jane. What of your life, your childhood? Why did you choose to study the stars?"

So the next half hour passed in uncomfortable interrogation, or at least uncomfortable for Jane. She never liked talking about herself, but nonetheless she found herself talking to Frigg as easily as if she were talking to Erik or Darcy. Easier in fact, because Frigg never let her get away with a half-lie or a vague confession. When she spoke of her virtual exile, Frigg leant forward and took her hand, grasping it comfortingly as she found herself shaking with anger and grief. She told her about Donald, and the string of failed relationships behind her since high school. It was painful, like poison being lanced from a wound, but in the end, Jane felt relieved, lighter and easier in herself. Talking to Frigg had been cathartic.

She looked to the Aesir who just smiled mischievously. "As I said earlier, my child," she leant in, stroking Jane's cheek. "You have many wounds of your own to heal. I am glad my gift could help in some small way."

Jane opened her mouth to reply, to ask what she meant, when they were interrupted by the sound of boots on the stone, and looked up to see Sif waiting by the entrance back into the corridor. Tall, slender and as beautiful as Jane remembered, she looked over her more closely this time, and saw the rigid way she carried herself, and the hard set of her jaw. Resentment, pride, fear and dislike gleamed in her eyes when she met Jane's gaze, and she wondered what she'd done to evoke this response. When they'd last met in Puente Antiguo, Sif had been courteous if distant, more focused on Thor than anything else. She'd been and gone too soon for Jane to really get a fix on her

But she instinctively knew this was about Thor.

She could have laughed. Sif really stood in no danger from Jane; she had no intention of trying to rekindle her infatuation with Thor and she'd told him so. She wondered if Thor was still blind to Sif's devotion, and she suddenly felt sad. The only way Thor would get over her properly was if she was out of sight. Out of sight, out of mind after all.

Well, Sif would have to just suck it up and deal until then. Jane didn't have time for catfights with supposedly superior beings which sometimes resembled petulant teenagers to her. She was here for Loki, not Thor.

"I have come for the human," Sif called to them. "The All-Father summons her to hear Loki's sentence."

Jane instantly rose, looking questioningly to Frigg who just smiled a touch sadly. "I already know what fate awaits Loki. He will need you, my child," she told her, as a shiver of foreboding slipped down Jane's spine.

She frowned but didn't ask what she meant, as she walked away to join Sif.

* * *

The warrior goddess didn't speak to her as they walked quickly through the halls back to Gladsheim. Jane tilted her head in defiance and refused to take it as the insult it was no doubt meant to be.

She could see the Aesir's teeth grinding behind her stern mouth, and mentally smirked. And waited.

_Loki really is rubbing off on me a bit too much…_

"Why do you do this?" Sif abruptly asked, coming to a halt and forcing Jane to almost slide to a halt.

"Ok, not a mind-reader," she replied curtly. "What do you mean?"

"Loki. Accompanying him back here, standing up for him, when he nearly destroyed your world and you along with it numerous times," Sif explained shortly. "You cannot love him. Not the Silvertongue of all people. Or does he still hold you under some enchantment-?"

Jane's control on her temper truly snapped at that. Before she could think properly, her hand lashed out, slapping Sif around the face. She stopped, shocked by her actions, as did Sif. Privately, Jane was shocked the warrior goddess had even allowed the blow.

Finally, inwardly shaking, Jane took a step towards her and stared her down. "Look, I don't expect someone like you to understand why I've done what I have, or anything to do with Loki for that matter. You don't like him, probably never did, but any issues you have with him are your hang-ups, not mine. They don't give you the right to judge me or him especially when you don't know the full truth. But don't fool yourself, Lady Sif. I am not enchanted, nor is Loki coercing me in any way. I am doing this because I want to, pure and simple. Because Loki needs someone to stand up for him, before it's too late."

"You love him," Sif murmured, her eyes wide, shaking her head and laughing softly in incredulity. "You love the Silvertongue. Why else would you fly to his defence so fiercely, like a she-wolf protecting her mate?"

"I don't really know what I feel for Loki," Jane shrugged. "But I do know it's strong enough to go wherever I need to, and to tell ignorant people to shut up when they start spouting off."

Sif bristled and drew herself up. "I have known Loki for a millennia, little mortal-"

"Yeah, and in that time, you only saw what the others saw, what Loki wanted you to see. He's done terrible things, I know that, I witnessed most of them myself," Jane retorted. "Did you ever look beneath, did you ever try?"

Sif fell silent at that, watching her narrowly, unease and discomfort in her lovely eyes.

Jane smiled to herself, turned away and began to walk on, until Sif joined her. "Tell me, Lady Sif," she began a moment later. "Why did you come after Thor when he was exiled to Earth?"

The warrior goddess tensed at that. "We were on the brink of war with Jotunheim. Loki was not the King we needed."

"Really? Did you let him even try before you went running to Thor?" she asked, as Sif stared at her again, with mouth agape. "I saw what happened when Thor led you all to Jotunheim, and I know it was partially Loki's doing he did it, but is the man who walks into an enemy city, and then insults and demands things like the arrogant idiot he is, truly the King you needed? Thor's changed, a lot, but he was no more a King then than Loki was. You didn't give him a chance, something I suspect he really is used to. And now again."

Sif's hand clenched by her side, and for a wild moment, Jane thought she would strike her. Then she relaxed, and there was a slightly rueful gleam in her eyes. "If any other had upbraided me as you have just done, I would have struck them down. If any other had dared to strike me," she began, wincing with a slight smirk as she touched her jaw. "You have more strength in you than any mortal I have ever known. Perhaps you will survive Loki after all."

"Sorry about that," Jane muttered. "I lost it for a moment."

"Do not apologise for a strike," Sif cut her off sternly. "A warrior never apologises when in defence. And you will need all the strength you can muster in the days ahead, if you are to stay with Loki."

She still spoke with a tinge of wonder in her voice, as if still in shock that anyone would want to be with Loki, and instead of angering her, it just made Jane sad. "You would do the same if it were Thor," Jane softly pointed out, making her companion tense again. "You have nothing to fear from me, Lady Sif. I have no interest in Thor, not for a very long time. Soon enough, he'll get over me too."

"You are relentless, and ruthless in your perception, Lady Jane," Sif replied, just as soft and quiet, all the steel in her gone for now, her voice small and vulnerable. "I pray it is so."

"It will be," Jane assured her firmly, looking ahead as they stopped before the large bronze doors into Gladsheim. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Sif, with a slight smirk, her spine straight and her eyes steely again.

"Until we meet again, Lady Jane," the warrior goddess intoned, twisting her fist and placing it against her heart. "Good fortune and strength be yours."

"And you," Jane replied instinctively, inclining her head as Sif left her, striding away quickly. They were not friends, likely never would be, but they didn't hate one another. That would have to be enough.

Taking a deep breath, Jane turned back as the doors of Gladsheim opened.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	3. Banished!

Veritas

Warnings: None.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'Loki's Lie' from 'Thor'.

* * *

'_All is fair in love and war.'_

_- Francis Edward Smedley_

* * *

When she stepped back into the hall of Gladsheim, Jane could see it was packed to the rafters with guardsmen and courtiers once more.

_Great, clearly Odin is into ritual humiliation…_

Was this is his little revenge for the way she'd attacked him verbally earlier? Or against both of them? Either way, she didn't really like Odin very much. He was a being so concerned with doing the right thing that he destroyed all that should be most precious to him in the process, and often enough completely missed what was the right course, even if it was right under his nose.

She wasn't going to give him or the people massed in front of her the satisfaction of seeing her discomfort. Squaring her shoulders, setting her jaw in what was quickly becoming her trademark look, she walked forward down the long aisle created by the guardsmen, ignoring the stares and the hushed whispers, her eyes focussed only on Loki, stood where she'd left him, on that raised platform, but this time Thor stood by his side. With an encouraging smile from the Thunder God, Jane ascended the steps, taking a place beside Loki, who stood, staring disdainfully at the crowd, and did not meet her eyes.

"Jane Foster of Midgard, you have been summoned to witness the judgement of one you have both defended and been a victim of. I have taken into account your testimony," the All-Father's voice boomed out across the room, almost making Jane jump from the suddenness of it. "Do you still stand by your account of events and Loki's true role in them?"

"I do," Jane replied, in as strong and firm a voice as she could muster. "Loki committed crimes, but he also turned in our favour and fought those who attempted to destroy us. He sacrificed his freedom to bring you warning of Thanos and his power. Judgement needs to be tempered by healing and understanding."

Shocked whispers broke out at that, Jane realised she had pretty much just dictated to the All-Father. She risked a glance sideways and saw Thor staring her, open-mouthed, while Loki stared straight ahead, but she saw his eyes roll and his lips quirk upward in a momentary, exasperated smirk.

"That as may be," the All-Father replied gravely, inclining his head. "But we cannot dismiss the severity of his crimes, of treason against Asgard and the attempted conquest of another Realm."

Jane looked sideways at Loki again, but he just smirked to himself, looking completely unrepentant. For a moment, her heart sank.

"It is the judgement of this Realm that has decided your punishment, my son," the All-Father looked down on Loki sadly, with a wistful longing in his eyes. "Until you have learned the lessons you must, you will be stripped of your magic and banished from this Realm. Neither help nor succour will be granted you from the Aesir, until you have proven yourself worthy of your former status."

Silence fell in the hall, and Jane held her breath, as Loki drew himself up, all dark strength and cruelty, this time. Gone was the lover Jane had known before leaving Earth, and in his place…never had Loki seemed more like the mad, amoral creature she had known during her captivity than now.

"No need for such dramatic statements, _**father**_," he replied contemptuously. "I renounce my place as a Prince of Asgard. I am not one of you, I never was, and I have long learned I never shall be."

"Loki," Thor murmured warningly, as Loki's smile grew cold and cruel, as he swung around to face the hostile, silent crowd.

"You never told them the truth of my birth, did you, All-Father?" Loki asked, spreading his arms wide. "Well, let them see it now!"

With a strange shock, Jane saw the first tinges of blue begin at his fingertips, and spread inwards, until all of his body that was visible turned that dark, deep shade of blue, and he radiated cold like an iceberg. Strange ridges appeared on his skin, running along the length of his face, neck and hands, and when he opened his eyes, they were crimson red.

Shouts and cries of alarm raced through the crowd, as Jane looked up only to see the All-Father sigh and close his eyes, weary and sorrowful.

"My crimes against Midgard are what they are," Loki's voice, quiet and strong, disrupted the brewing chaos. "I can only say I made choices based upon the very lies and manipulations I had once excelled in. But for Asgard…I committed treason only to keep this Realm safe and destroy the remnants of the race I been taught to hate. My own race. See what your almighty and ever-wise king has wrought, and think again on why I did what I did."

Jane gasped, a strange agony filling her up, when Loki turned his back to the crowd once more, and faced them, the blue and red leaching from his skin and eyes like paint washed from a canvas. His eyes were overflowing with pain and self-loathing, with both hatred and love, as he gazed up at the All-Father.

"My last gift to you both, _**Father**_," he spat coldly, before glancing at Thor, his voice softening just a little. "Brother."

"Loki…" Jane breathed, as he at last turned to her, with a cocky smirk she knew was just a mask.

"Well, Jane? Now you know the truth of your lover, perhaps you will change your mind-" he began, with a tinge of scorn and resignation in his voice that made her so angry, she saw red. His words were cut off as she slapped him, hard, on the shoulder.

"Shut up, Loki," she growled. "I am going absolutely nowhere. Get used to it."

She could feel everyone staring, and resolutely kept her eyes fixed on Loki's, until his jaw firmed and he nodded.

"You need not follow him into exile, Lady Jane," the All-Father told her gently.

"Sorry, no. Don't go there," she replied curtly. "Where he goes, I go. Someone needs to take care of him, since you're ready just to throw him out and pretend he doesn't exist anymore."

"I don't need you take care of me, Jane-" Loki hissed, but Jane just rolled her eyes and folded her arms defiantly.

"You so do," she retorted stubbornly.

"She is right, Brother," Thor suddenly spoke up properly for the first time since Jane had come back to the hall. "You…both need each other."

"Thor, I think that's the wisest thing you've ever come out with," she stared him, wide-eyed, as he chuckled.

"Very well," the All-Father sighed wearily, before drawing himself up. "You will both be escorted from this place and kept under guard until the final preparations are made. Captain-"

"No, Father," Thor cut in. "I shall escort them. With your leave."

"Very well. Go," he nodded, gesturing them away. Thor led the way, Loki and Jane walking side by side, out of the hall, her skin crawling as she felt the wave of eyes and whispers following their backs until the doors closed heavily behind them.

"Well," she sighed. "That was dramatic."

* * *

Thor took them to a large, well-appointed room, in the royal wing of the citadel. The walls were the same soft, shining gold as the rest of the citadel, but they were draped with emerald green silks, and a few tapestries depicting battles Jane knew to be from Norse legend. Aside from the bed, a massive, fur-covered square in the centre of the room, sunk into a raised platform, there were a number of chests against a wall that Jane guessed to contain clothing, and the remaining walls were filled with books, covering the drapes and the golden walls to the ceiling. Directly opposite the bed was a large balcony, looking out over the city below.

Loki's old chambers.

"Stay here. I'll come when there is news," Thor told them kindly. "I will send up anything you may require."

"Some food and wine for Jane. I need nothing," Loki replied coolly. Thor smiled, a little sadly, then left them alone as Loki strode to the balcony and folded his arms, staring into the horizon.

Jane let him brood for a few minutes, before she joined him outside, sliding her arm around his and holding him tightly. "Why did you do that?" she asked. Loki didn't need to ask what she meant.

"I knew Odin had not told anyone of my true origins. A part of him still hopes to bring me back under his subjugation, his pet diplomatic pawn with Jotunheim. He has ruled too long, become arrogant and rigid in his ways. He passed judgement upon me; this is my judgement upon him. Thor will be King soon enough."

"I know he's done a hell of a lot of damage, but he does love you, Loki. In his own way," she breathed. He sighed, still refusing to move but he did cover her hand on his arm with his own.

"I know. But as you mortals say, we are even now," he replied quietly. "Let things play out as they will."

"You really want Thor to be King?" Jane asked, with a frown.

"Not particularly, but better him than some bureaucratic fool. Asgard must be prepared for Thanos's next move, and Thor, for all his shortcomings, will be needed. The people adore Thor, whatever they now may think of the All-Father. They will not rebel against him."

"That is exceedingly sneaky of you, Loki," she muttered, a touch disapprovingly, as Loki grinned like the proverbial Cheshire Cat.

"I had a reputation to uphold," he shrugged nonchalantly. "Still it was not…easy."

And admitting that couldn't have been easy either. Jane said nothing, just pressed herself against him, offering whatever comfort he needed from her. Thor had been right when he said they needed one another.

"I should be noble," he suddenly said, after a moment of quiet companionship. Jane glanced up at him, puzzled. His face was tense, his jaw firmed by some inward thought that caused him pain as he stared resolutely out at the city beneath them. "I should be noble and insist you remain on Asgard, or sent back to Earth. I should not drag you down with me-"

"Oh shush," Jane muttered, before stepping around him to face him, with a defiant glare. "As if you ever do things you 'should'. I don't want to hear another stupid word come out of your mouth if that's what comes out. I made my choice, nothing and no one else did it for me. Besides, once you regain your magic, there'll be nothing to hold us down."

Loki stared down at her, and she held his gaze firmly. His eyes, so piercing and cold, suddenly warmed and filled with a sweet happiness that Jane felt her heart pierced anew, as he crushed her to him, his lips against her hair.

"I was worried I was losing you for a second, back there," she admitted quietly, in his arms. "You were so…cold and cruel. The way you were when we first met."

"I almost did lose myself," he replied, so softly his words were nearly lost on the breeze. "Thanos's manipulations were not easy to throw off, and their influence lingers even now. Even before Thanos, I was not a creature of the light, Jane. I was cruel and cold at times, both in jest and in seriousness. I was a jealous, bitter creature hiding behind a mask, and a part of me will always be."

"But there's so much more in there too, Loki," she countered, not bothering to open her eyes and meet his gaze. She was far too comfortable nestled in his arms. "Only you can decide which part of you will rule you and your future, though."

"My foolish, hopeful little mortal," he whispered. "Whatever am I to do with you?"

"Easy," Jane replied, raising her head at that and meeting his eyes fiercely. "Don't make me regret this."

"I can promise I will at least try," he said after a moment's silence. "I can't guarantee that I won't fall, at times, back into my old moods and thoughts. I am sorry you will have to deal with that side of me."

"I'm not," Jane shrugged. "I'll pull you back out of it again, somehow, and then give you hell for it. I am pretty stubborn, you know."

Loki's answering smirk was rueful and warm, as Jane grinned, pleased that she'd managed to elicit that reaction from him. She lowered her head to his chest and closed her eyes again, sinking back into their slight, tiny moment of peace before they were cast into the unknown again.

* * *

It was nearly sunset by the time anyone came for them, and Jane was stood on the balcony, watching with enraptured eyes as the sun sank beneath the azure line of the ocean's horizon, in an explosion of colour.

Loki had seen the sunset a million times in his life, and he could afford not to watch it now. Instead, he watched Jane, her wonder; her gasp of appreciation at the beauty of Asgard, the sun's dying rays casting a golden glow over her features, turning her caramel hair to burnished copper.

Once more, he marvelled at her strength, her tenacity and her determination in coming to Asgard with him, standing resolutely by his side and refusing to back down, to take the easy way out and return home where he knew there were others waiting for her, others that loved her and missed her. But she was his.

It was a selfish, dark thought, but he could not help it. Since coming here, she had only confirmed it, again and again, and now she was following him into exile. She had refused to draw away when he revealed the darkest aspect of his true nature, and showed no fear when he tore away the mask the All-Father had placed upon him since infancy, and revealed the truth to Asgard.

No doubt, Chaos would ensue, but then that was always his way. Thanos had truly blinded him to his nature, by playing on his fears and his ambitions, so that he almost forgot who he really was.

Jane had brought him back. And she was his.

The thought comforted him, made him stronger as he watched her watching the sunset, but when she looked back to him, eyes wide and sparkling with the last of the light, the guarded remnants of his heart swelled and he had to admit he was as much hers as she was his.

He stood, needing to join her, to bask in the light with her if only temporarily before the darkness pulled him back to the shadows, but he was stopped as the door to his chambers opened, and both Frigg and Thor swept in. He could see guardsmen waiting for them outside.

"You are to be banished to Alfheim," Thor announced without preamble. "All the preparations have been made. You leave now."

Frigg stepped forward as Jane came to his side, a shapeless length of fabric in her arms. "I thought this might suit you," she held it out to Jane, and as the mortal took it, he could see it was a cloak. And if he was not mistaken, one crafted by Frigg's own hand, and interwoven with spells of protection and warmth. It was the lightest of greys, almost white, trimmed with the fur of the snow-wolves of the Northern Mountains. Jane's eyes were wide as she took it in her arms.

"Thank you," she breathed, as Frigg smiled sadly. Her eyes drifted to Loki, and that sadness grew stronger.

"Loki," she breathed, with difficulty. She moved towards him, and Jane wondered if he would move away. He didn't, but he did not move, or relax, as she pressed a kiss to his forehead, brushing back his hair. When she drew back, Frigg eyed him with mock-severity. "If we had more time, I would cut that unruly hair of yours."

That statement, so incongruous and just so Mom-ish, made Jane laugh even as her eyes welled. She slipped the cloak on, and instantly felt a sensation of warmth wash over her, too warm for Asgard's mild climate.

"It is cold, on Alfheim during winter, and although their raiment is well-made, this is ensorcelled to always keep you warm and safe," Frigg explained, turning away from her adopted son, as Jane nodded gratefully. "I wish you both great happiness and peace, until you can return to us."

"Thank you…Mother," Loki replied awkwardly, and for a second Jane thought Frigg really would embrace him and Loki really would flee this time, but Frigg just nodded, her eyes awash with tears. Thor led them out, leaving the graceful, willowy figure of the Queen behind them. As Jane turned away, she heard her soft voice in her head.

_Good luck, my child…_

* * *

The streets were deserted when they were escorted through them, on horseback once more, but Jane felt the tension of the calm before the storm. Loki's actions would have far-reaching repercussions, she was sure of it.

Change was in the air.

A part of her was sad to leave Asgard so soon, but the future was unknown. Perhaps they would return here, one day, when old pains were dimmed with time and healing. As it was, the rest of her was excited by the prospect of another world. She suspected she should have been nervous, or frightened, but she wasn't. Oh well, just more confirmation she was crazy.

The Observatory was empty but for Heimdall and the All-Father. Jane tensed on seeing him, as Thor's hand crept around her wrist, holding her back as Loki halted right in front of him, atop the podium, looking up at him defiantly and proudly.

"You have inflicted much damage today, Loki Odinson," he intoned and Loki smirked.

"No more than you did to me, All-Father. Judgement is served," he replied coldly, as the All-Father bristled.

"You will not return to Asgard until you have learned the error of your past and regained your power. Nor will any from Asgard seek you out to aid or succour you. I take from you, Loki Odinson, your power!" he cried out, and Jane lunged forward as a great spike of energy leapt from the tip of Gungnir and struck Loki in the chest, and he grit his teeth, falling to his knees, as the very essence of his magic was drained from him. No torture could rival this.

"I, Odin All-Father, son of Bor, cast you out!" with that last shout, it was over and Loki slumped forward. Thor released her and Jane rushed to him, supporting him against her much slighter frame, as he gasped and panted. She glared fiercely up at the All-Father, as he walked down to them, placing a trembling hand on Loki's wavy black hair. "My son, forgive me."

Loki heaved himself upright, with a baleful glare at his adopted parent, forcing himself to stand tall and unbowed, despite the pain racking his form. He felt weak and cold without the heat of his magic within him, but was not surprised that when he glanced down to his hands, one on Jane's arm, they were still pale and stark against the black leather of his surcoat.

He pushed Jane away gently, and she took the hint, letting him stand without her, but she stood by his side, radiating defiance and dislike for the man stood before them, as the All-Father's eye turned to her.

"Look after him, Jane Foster. Succeed where I failed," he told her gravely. "For all our sakes."

Behind them, the Bifrost whirred into life, and Heimdall gestured to them to step into it without a word. The All-Father turned away, and left, surrounded by his guardsmen, not blind to the surreptitious glances they sent his way when they believed him not looking.

Thor remained behind, pained and uncertain. Finally, he stepped forward. "Jane, good luck," he told her. "Loki…I do not care what Father says. Mother and I will find some way to come to you."

"Careful, Thor. That sounds like treason," Loki replied mockingly, but there was a warmth in his eyes that had been missing before, when he looked at Thor. Thor grasped his shoulder in farewell, before he stepped back.

"Hey, Thor," Jane suddenly called. "Little tip: try talking to Sif. You might surprise each other."

Thor's brows rose in bemusement, as Jane smiled and stepped back, turning as Loki did, to face the roaring Bifrost.

"Ready?" Loki asked.

"As I'll ever be," she replied serenely, as she felt the familiar drag and pull of the Bifrost, as she was yanked into space-time once more.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	4. An Even Stranger New World

Veritas

Warnings: Sexual themes

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'Sanctuary' from 'Snow White and the Huntsman' and 'Evenstar' from 'the Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers'.

* * *

_'One can begin so many things with a new person! - even begin to be a better man.'_

_- George Eliot, Middlemarch: A Study of Provincial Life_

* * *

This time Jane was a little more prepared for the jolt when they landed. She still stumbled, but at least this time, she didn't require Loki's help to stay upright.

As soon as the dizziness faded, she opened her eyes and looked around her. They were stood in a forest, greener than anything Jane had ever seen before, the leaves rustling above them in a sort of melancholy rhythm which reminded Jane of woodwind instruments like flutes. The trunks of the trees were silver, shining softly in the gentle light penetrating the canopy above their heads, although Jane couldn't see the sky through it.

They were in a clearing, the ground imprinted with the mark of the Bifrost, and it was only through this gap in the seemingly endless canopy of leaves that Jane could see the sky, blue and clear above them.

Loki panted slightly as he shifted beside her, and Jane's attention snapped back to him. "Are you ok?" she asked worriedly. "What did he do to you?"

After a moment, he answered her, short and sharp, but as she noticed how pale and obviously in pain he was, she didn't take offence this time. "The All-Father took my magic. It is not… a pleasant process."

Jane hesitated then decided to ask anyway. "Then why wasn't Thor-?"

"Because Thor cannot use magic, not consciously. He does not feel magic as a living, tangible force, he cannot," Loki snapped at her, as he heaved himself upright. "When the All-Father banished him to Earth, he took only his mortality and his ability to use Mjolnir. He didn't take his strength or his years of experience as a warrior. Taking my magic is akin to cutting away a part of my soul, so to speak. The wound goes far deeper, as it is more a part of me, of my DNA as you would call it, than even my longevity is."

"Then we need to get you help," Jane breathed, looking up and around for some path, some sign of civilisation. Odin had sent Thor to an inhabited world; surely he'd show at least the same courtesy to Loki? Right?

She hoped, anyway.

Loki's murmur, pained but still sarcastic and dry, drew her attention. "I believe the welcoming committee has already arrived."

Jane's eyes widened, as Loki shakily stood and Jane unconsciously shifted just in front of him. Before them, grouped in a semi-circle, were some of the most beautiful and strange creatures Jane had ever seen.

One, the seeming leader Jane guessed since he stood in the middle of the semi-circle, was tall with silver hair, and apart from his height and his eyes, as old and wise as Frigg's, he looked human. He wore clothes not dissimilar to Loki's, leather breeches, boots and surcoat, except for the sword belt around his waist and the gold trimming on his clothing.

The rest, however, were obviously not human.

Two of the group were female, and stood watching Jane with curious, friendly eyes. Their skin were as pale as her own, but seemed to hold its own radiance. Their hair, long and unbraided, were alternately a beautiful shade of ebony and auburn, their ears pointed beneath the long waves of their hair. They wore long robes, slit at the thigh and shoulder, to reveal functional trousers, tunics and boots beneath, all in shades of earthy green and brown.

The other four were male, and seemed to vary as much in skin tone, hair colour and height as any man on Jane's world. There was one with olive skin, eyes as pointed as his ears, wearing long robes of green and grey, his eyes an ethereal shade of lilac. Beside him was stood another, with the pointed ears and skin colour like her own, but his nose and eyes were almost slits and he looked almost incorporeal in his grey tunics and breeches. The other two had skin as dark as ebony, and kind, deep green eyes which looked to her kindly, dressed in grey and brown. All of them bore bows and quivers on their backs, and swords at their hips. For some reason, looking at the leaders' made her shiver with unease.

"Loki of Asgard, welcome back to Alfheim," he called, opening his eyes wide. Loki managed a brief smile.

"Frey, old friend. It had been too long," he replied. "Frey, might I introduce my companion? This is the Lady Jane Foster, of Midgard. Jane, this is Frey, originally of Vanaheim, but now he rules Alfheim as a vassal of the All-Father."

Jane smiled and dipped a curtsey, at which Frey just chuckled. "Come, no formalities. Loki is like a grandson to me, and so shall you be my granddaughter, Lady Jane."

"Thank you," she replied softly. Frey's hands flung outwards, to encompass his companions.

"Might I introduce my ruling Council? These are the Mage Ladies Alona and Rila," the two females bowed their heads to her, and Jane to them instinctively. Frey pointed to the two dark-skinned ones next. "Lord Hafnell and Lord Knaven. And the other two are Lord Visha and Lord Danen," he finished, gesturing to the last two, first the one that looked almost Oriental except for the obviously alien cast to his features, and to the one whose skin colour looked like her own. Jane inclined her head to them, and smiled.

The auburn-haired female, Lady Rila, stepped forward, with a gracious smile, holding out her hand to Jane. "We welcome you, Lady Jane," she murmured, her voice as soft as a breeze through the leaves above their heads. "We hope you will very happy here with us."

Frey gestured for them to walk with them, and Jane went to follow but Loki winced, doubling over as Frey, Hafnell and Danen rushed to his side. "What is it, Loki?" Frey asked, kindly.

"It is but the after-effects of the All-Father's judgement. I'll be well again after some rest," Loki told them, not coldly, but in such a lordly tone, that Jane glimpsed the Prince he once was. He stood tall, shaking off Frey's hand. "Come, let us go."

* * *

Jane kept glancing worriedly at Loki as they walked on through the forest, Loki walking ahead with Frey and the men, while Jane walked with Rila and Alona, deep in conversation.

"So you're both scientists, like me?" she asked, after they explained their roles. "Essentially."

"Yes, we are," Rila smiled. "Our task is to experiment, to learn and to discover new ways, through both science and magic, to benefit our people. It is always so, with us. The men train in combat and practical things, while the women learn the ways of magic and the Forest, to safeguard our people and the land, to ensure it continues to prosper."

Jane frowned. "That's a bit…what if men don't want to be warriors, or the women don't want to be magicians?" she asked.

"The men do not fight," Alona explained, cooler than Rila, but not unkindly. "They practice weapons craft as a memorial to the struggles of our ancestors during the Long Winter, but they have not needed to wield them in millennia. But it is our way and the people accept it."

Jane frowned but didn't argue further. Not yet, anyway. "What was the Long Winter?" she asked.

Rila shivered. "It was the time of the last Ice War, when the Frost Giants held sway over much of the Nine Realms, including Alfheim. Our people fought, men, women and children and many perished, both in battle and from hunger and tribulations, but it was only after the All-Father defeated Laufey and took the source of their power, that peace reigned again. Our Queen had died in the War, and so the All-Father set Frey to rule over us, since no heir remained, and so we have been ever since."

"You had a Queen?" Jane asked, curiously.

"Yes. Always a Queen," Alona explained. "It is we who hold the greatest connection to our world, to the Forest and its' magic, and so our rulers were always Queens, and if they took mates, they were the Prince Consort, no more. Until Laufey came and struck the last of the line of Queens down."

Jane couldn't help but glance ahead, to Loki, deep in conversation with Frey and the others. Rila followed her gaze and smiled.

"We know Loki's true birth, Jane," she reassured her gently. "It was revealed to us when the All-Father asked Frey to watch over Loki during his banishment here. We bear neither him nor you any ill will."

Jane nodded, falling into silence as she walked, and Rila and Alona seemed content to let her do so. How could a world which placed more faith in womens' intellect and power, at the same time, also restrict their peoples' choices so much? They had Queens, but it is men who fought. They don't see men as any less intelligent than women, but they did not allow men to train as mages, or vice versa. And they seemed content with the rule of a foreigner, a puppet of Odin's, although Jane supposed that was a little unfair. Frey was a nice enough man, it seemed.

It was strange to be on a world where she would be praised for her intellect, but anything else, she'd be censured. God, what would they have thought of her picking up a gun and fighting her way through Chitauri to get to Loki atop Stark Tower?

She mentally shrugged and pushed the thought away, for now. They came to a stop, and looked up, to see a winding stair disappearing into the canopy above them, twining around the massive trunk of a tree. As she stepped up onto it, she shivered and felt like she'd been doused in cold water. Rila smiled knowingly.

"That is the wards," she explained. "We ward the entrance to our villages to prevent the creatures from the forest floor from reaching our homes. The Forest can be a dark place at night. Even now, remnants of dark creatures that thrived during the Long Winter still roam the Forest floor at night. You must be careful never to descend to the floor once the sun has gone down, Jane."

She nodded, feeling uneasy, as Loki glanced back at her, with a slight, worried frown. She shrugged, and he nodded to her, before turning back to his conversation with Frey. Jane's legs were already burning with the strain of the climb and her ribs were aching for the first time since they left Earth. She gritted her teeth and pushed on stubbornly.

When they cleared the lower canopy, Jane could not hide her gasp. Before her, as far as she could see, was an entire city of shining wood stretched out across long, wide platforms that seemed to be made out of the very trees themselves. Their buildings reared high into the air, until they reached the canopy above, and disappeared once more into the leafy ceiling. Through tiny gaps between the leaves, Jane could see the blue of the sky, and felt a part of her heart sink at the thought she would be denied glimpses of the sky and the stars that she'd so loved, living in Puente Antiguo.

All of a sudden, she felt claustrophobic and strangled, as her breath caught but she forced it down, took a deep breath, and allowed her previous wonder to rise again. "How did you manage to build all of this?" she asked Alona curiously.

"Our connection to our Realm runs deep, Lady Jane," she replied mysteriously. "We ask, and the Mother provides."

"You mean the planet is alive?" Jane asked disbelievingly. "As in sentient?"

"Is that so difficult to believe?" Rila asked softly, as Jane looked back at her. Suddenly feeling small and ignorant, she shrugged.

"I suppose not," she replied quietly, as they passed into the city. The platforms were connected by strong, straight bridges, made of the same shining silver wood as the trunks of the trees themselves, and as Jane placed her hand on the supporting rail, as knotted and twisted as a tree branch, she gasped.

She could feel a tangible pulse against her hand, like heat throbbing against it, and shuddered. The entire party stopped, watching her intently, as Rila and Alona both smiled. "You can feel her? The pulse of Life in the Forest that comes from the Mother?" Rila asked.

"I can feel…something," Jane murmured, uncertainly. Loki was watching her with interest, too closely for her liking. She released the railing and fidgeted. Rila merely smiled and gestured for them to go on. She was feeling more than a little freaked out.

* * *

The people were curious, opening the shutters of their windows to watch them pass, children pausing in their play to watch them go with wide eyes, and they attracted quite an entourage as Frey simply smiled indulgently, waving them away in dismissal. Jane smiled kindly at a young woman; her height and looking about sixteen, although for all she knew these people were as long-lived as the Aesir and the Jotunn. She smiled back.

Jane was still uneasy though. Her mind went back again and again to that strange thrill that had run down her arm when she touched that railing, the throbbing pulse against her palm, the surge of…_something_ beneath her skin. It had felt welcoming, warm and loving, like the embrace of a mother.

She mentally snorted and shoved the thought away. Now she knew she was going crazy. Erik really would have her committed if she had started theorising about sentient trees and planets.

She felt sadness again, and sighed, ignoring Rila and Alona's concerned looks, and Loki's backward glances at her.

"It will soon be nightfall," Rila murmured softly. "And you must be weary. We will have a bath readied for you, and food sent to you before you sleep. Come Jane."

Jane had been so absorbed in her own thoughts, she'd barely been aware of where they were walking. She looked up to realise that they were stood on the veranda of a great house, almost a palace, and the men stood a short distance away, as Rila and Alona gently guided her away. With a nod from Loki, she walked away without a backward glance.

Along with everything else about the people of Alfheim, Jane found they were also vegans, pretty much. The food set out for her consisted of fruits and vegetables, most of which she didn't recognise, along with some kind of herby broth that she had to admit smelled amazing, and flat, unleavened circles of bread on a platter.

She had been shown to a room where she could bathe, and had sunk into the wide, sunken pool fed by a waterfall, and was surprised to find the water warm, before the apparent impossibility of a waterfall in the treetops hit her. Then she just shrugged. New world, Jane, new world.

The water had felt heavenly against her skin, especially on her ribs, and when she emerged to find food and clothing waiting for her, she felt refreshed though still tired. Leaving her hair to dry, she picked up the silky mass of fabric laid over a chair for her, in soft shades of pink, like the petals of a spring blossom, and let it fall to realise it was a robe, embroidered prettily with small blooms woven into the fabric, so she had to look hard to see them.

Her clothes were gone, for mending and washing Rila had said, and her cloak from Frigg she'd found, folded neatly into a trunk set back against a wall. She didn't have any other clothing, or underwear, but she just shrugged and slipped the robe on, cinching the sash around her waist tight. The neckline fell from her shoulders, revealing the pale swell, while the sleeves fell almost to the floor. It was beautiful and unlike anything Jane had ever seen before.

She ate what she could, washing it down with cool, sweet spring water, before deciding to explore her new home. The room she had bathed in and the room she was in now, were both of the same silvery wood as the rest of the city, and Jane as she looked out of a window, shuttered by a screen made from some stringy fibre, that they were in what was essentially their own house, close to the main palace and connected by a walkway, but secluded compared to the rest of the city.

The ceilings were high and vaulted above her head, a tangled embrace of leafless tree branches, and the floors were bare wood but for an exquisitely woven rug beneath her bare feet. She paused for a moment, as she stopped before a door leading away from this room. She really wasn't dressed for exploring, and she was feeling tired. But there was no bed in her room, so she guessed the rooms she'd seen already had to be some kind of personal eating and bathing chambers for her. She wondered if Loki had his own too.

Still uncertain, Jane retreated to the small, intricately carved table she'd been sitting at, and looked out of the window. The world had darkened, the city lit by bright lanterns, and she could hear singing echoing through the city.

She still couldn't see the stars.

Refusing to acknowledge her sadness, she went to the chest she'd found her cloak left in, and decided to examine Frigg's gift further. It was as soft and light as silk in her hand, almost like water made solid, but it wasn't icy. She felt the woven sigils of wards and enchantments under her fingertips, and shivered unconsciously. The fur was soft against her fingers, and although it usually reviled her, she sternly told herself to just suck it up. Earth sensibilities wouldn't do her good out here.

Something hard and round bumped against her hand as she caressed the fabric, and she frowned. That hadn't been there before.

She'd discovered a hidden pocket in the cloak, deep and wide, and she reached in to pull out a velvet wrapped, spherical object. She unwrapped it to find the most delicious looking apple she'd ever seen in her hand, glowing a soft gold in the silvery light of the trees above her head.

A small roll of parchment fell to the floor along with the wrapping, and Jane bent to retrieve it curiously, leaving the apple on the table with its wrappings.

* * *

_Jane,_

_I have hidden one of the Apples of Idunn in my gift to you. It will give you the longevity, although not the strength and power, of an Aesir. Only the All-Father's gift can bestow that, but with this at least, you need never worry about aging and dying early. _

_It is a heady gift, and a difficult decision to make, Jane, and it is yours alone. Such a long lifespan does not suit everyone. Think carefully._

_With all my love and hope,_

_Frigg_

* * *

Jane stared at the parchment in her hand, her breathing suddenly elevated. Her hand shook as she stared at the golden Apple on the table before her. It would give her immortality!

Well, almost. Jane closed her eyes, shaking her head. Why had she never considered this before? The Aesir and the Jotunn might not be immortal but they were ridiculously long lived. Sooner or later, she'd age and die, much quicker than Loki. Why hadn't she thought of this?

She sighed. Everything in her body, in her gut, urged her to eat the Apple and embrace the longevity she needed to stay with Loki. Her head warned her to wait.

She reached for the Apple, and wrapped it securely within its' velvet cover along with the parchment, and returned it to its' secret pocket in her cloak. She couldn't make that decision tonight. Too much had happened; too much was still happening, for her to take that monumental step tonight.

Needing to sleep, or at least, wanting to find Loki, she stood and walked through the door leading away from the eating and bathing chambers, and into a larger chamber. This one had the same vaulted ceilings and silvery wood as the last two, with a series of steps leading to a bed, sunk into the dais, and more storage chests against the wall and two large windows, unshuttered, that looked out over the forest.

Loki was stood in front of the windows, hands clasped behind his back, his leather garments gone, replaced by a soft grey robe, similar to hers. He turned when she entered, and his smile was soft and inviting when he saw her.

"Jane," he breathed. "My apologies for not joining you, but my guardian had a few ground rules to set."

That last was said in a distinctly sarcastic tone, as Jane frowned. "Why did the All-Father send you here? This isn't exactly what I expecting," she admitted, walking across the room to his side.

"My banishment is different from Thor's. The All-Father meant to teach him humility and what it meant to lose everything. He knows there is no use trying to teach me the former, and the latter…the latter I have already experienced," he replied darkly, as Jane put her hand on his arm.

"Hey, maybe he just sent you here to heal," she retorted gently. "That keeping you in Asgard would only make the wounds fester, not heal."

"You have a far more optimistic outlook on life than I, Jane Foster," he smiled cynically. Jane really didn't like this mood he was in, had been in ever since they arrived in Asgard, and stepped fully around him and to meet his gaze.

"Hey, enough with the brooding," she told him firmly but softly. "I'm way too tired for all that tonight. Two worlds in one day, kind of takes it out of a girl. Come to bed."

His eyes softened as he looked down at her, even as he smirked. "And people call me persuasive. Methinks I have a worthy pupil in you, Jane Foster."

She rolled her eyes as he pulled her against him, slapping him lightly on the shoulder. "One track mind," she replied sarcastically, as she escaped his grip and went to the bed, piled high with cushions and silk covers. It was incredibly warm and comfortable, as she laid down with a sigh. "You'd better be ready tomorrow. I've got a metric ton of questions about this place, and it's obvious you know this place well."

He grinned, as he followed her, lying down beside her and pulling her into his arms as the lights dimmed. "I came here often, as a boy. Frey is Vanir, one of my moth- one of the Queen's people. They were close before the All-Father sent him here, and we visited often. It is here I learned to hunt and my knife craft. The Elves of Alfheim are pacifistic in nature, but they still practice combat as a tradition, and their skills with bows and knives are unparalleled throughout the Nine Realms."

Jane laid her head on his shoulder, looking up at the shifting ceiling of leaves above their heads. "It's…not quite cold but neither is it warm. I'm glad we've got these robe things," she muttered.

"It is still early Spring for Alfheim, and we are in the North West of the continent. Here, the climate is not dissimilar to the region of Earth you call Europe," he explained.

"Is all of Alfheim covered in forest?" Jane asked, curiously, her tiredness held at bay by this strange new world.

"Nearly almost," Loki replied. "Apart from the extreme poles, which are ice and snow, separated from the rest of the planet by long mountain ranges, the entire land is covered in forest. It changes according to its' longitude. The further South you go, the more the Forest becomes like your rainforests on Earth."

Jane nodded, just as her hand grazed the side of the bed, connecting with the wood. That same surge of life, of warmth and throbbing vitality, rushed through her, making her jump slightly and jerk her hand back. She noticed Loki saw her, but didn't ask her what was wrong.

She was a little freaked out by this place. What was that?

"Do the Elves worship the Forest?" she asked, quietly. "What is the Mother? A deity?"

"No," Loki replied softly. "The Mother is the planet. All Elves have a connection to their world, deep and ancient, but most especially the women. It was said the Queens of Alfheim could commune directly with the Mother herself. It is she who sustains and nourishes the world, and protects the Elves, and the Queen Mother was her personification, the power of the Realm born into a single being."

"You believe that?" she asked, looking up at him frowningly.

"I have seen too much to doubt it as I once did, Jane," he told her. "Is it so impossible to imagine a sentient world, with a living, telepathic connection to its inhabitants?"

"Well, when you put it like that, it sounds a little more scientifically possible," she admitted grudgingly. Especially after everything she'd seen and done.

* * *

"You will find your way, Jane. You always do," he told her gently, stroking her hair back from her face. All of a sudden, Jane no longer felt tired. The throbbing vitality she'd felt when she touched the living wood rushed through her, erasing her weariness, and as she looked into Loki's eyes, she could see he felt the same rush. Without fear or uncertainty, she pulled herself up onto her knees and straddled him, their lips meeting seamlessly. They hadn't been together since Earth.

They didn't waste time with clothing, just moving aside the silken robes until Jane could sink onto him with a sigh against his mouth. It was pure comfort and pleasure, as they moved together slowly and sensuously, Loki's back upright against the wooden headboard, his arms tight around Jane's waist as their hips rocked together, his mouth spreading loving, worshipping kisses along her neck and collarbone, Jane's arms tight around his neck, hands buried in his hair, eyes closed in rapture.

It had been an insane few days, and as the Apple once more floated to the forefront of Jane's mind, she was glad at least of this. This familiar pleasure, that she didn't have to be uncertain about or fear, she could just enjoy it and him to the full, as their hips rocked together, and she shoved all thoughts and cares away, and just let that wonderful feeling of life, vitality and pleasure, and Loki, take her.

* * *

_**A/N: **If anyone's interested, I based my Alfheim elves a little on the Marvel comics, more on the Galadhrim and Sindar Elves of Mirkwood from LOTR and a little on the Na'avi people from Avatar._

_To be continued..._


	5. Trouble In Paradise

Veritas

Warnings: Some suggestive themes. Threat of violence and dark themes.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'Archery' from 'the Young Victoria', 'Tower Prayers' from 'Snow White and the Huntsman' and 'Murron's Burial' from 'Braveheart'.

* * *

_'Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option.'_

_-Mark Twain_

* * *

The days seemed to pass quickly, after that night, for Jane. Every night, she went to sleep in Loki's arms, and every morning she awoke there.

The next day, Rila had taken Jane to see a seamstress, who used magic to speed up the process. The fitting had taken minutes, and by the end of the day Jane was now the owner of a number of pairs of breeches, dark brown and sturdy, a lighter cloak than Frigg's gift, of the same dark brown as her breeches, trimmed with green, a long tunic like Rila's and Alona's, in a lighter shade of brown, and even more undershirts, and long-sleeved jerkins. By the end of that first day, she'd also acquired three pairs of hardy, knee-length leather boots.

After that, she'd explored the city alone. Loki was nowhere to be found, but she guessed he was probably with Frey.

She still couldn't get over the wide, arching walkways or the living, undulating ceiling of leaves above them. She felt both stifled and free at once, as if she were literally walking on air, but on air heated by a thunderstorm.

By the second day, however, Jane was bored. She woke up, she ate breakfast, she bathed and then she just…wandered. No purpose, no reason for her presence there. She barely even saw Loki except for meals and of course, late at night and in the morning. She found herself missing him, as her thoughts uneasily turned towards the Golden Apple hidden in her winter cloak.

She hadn't done anything with it. She was almost afraid to touch it, as if just touching it would take her choice away from her. She hadn't told Loki, because she sensed that any hesitation on her part in eating the Apple and accepting its' longevity would be interpreted as a hesitation about him. And perhaps a part of it was.

Jane just didn't know. She didn't know if what she felt for Loki was strong enough to accept virtual immortality, if she had the strength for that. She cared for him, greatly, probably more than anyone should for a man who had threatened, attacked and abducted her, but she also was frightened. What if things didn't work out? What if Loki regressed? What if they just didn't work, or Loki abandoned her for another? At least then, natural aging and death would have been an escape…

_And if __**THAT'S **__not a morbid thought…_

After that disconcerting argument with herself, she'd put the Apple away for good and tried to forget about it for the time being. She wasn't going to fret about what-ifs, not anymore.

One night, she lay in bed, idly running her hand along the wood. She hadn't seen Loki all day, and she was feeling slightly annoyed. How was she supposed to help him if he just avoided her all day?

At least Rila, Alona, and the young female Elf Jane had smiled at when she first arrived, who was called Kaila and turned out to be Rila's sister-in-law, kind of, had offered to take her out of the city and to explore the canopy. She hadn't met Rila's 'mate' yet, as they called it. Loki had told her, during their brief meals together, that the Elves of Alfheim didn't put stock in marriage so much. If two Elves wished to be together, then they announced their intentions and just started living together. It was in childbirth and pregnancy however, where they celebrated most. Each new life, according to the Elves, was a gift from the Mother, and was to be cherished and celebrated.

With a jolt, Jane realised it had nearly been a month since they arrived. A month since she left Earth, last saw Erik, Tony and Steve. Perhaps even more, considering the time difference between this world and Earth. Maybe it had already been years on Earth, perhaps they were already dead and buried…

A flash of comforting warmth, loving and tender, throbbed against her fingers where they grazed the living wood of the tree trunk that grew through their house. Those flashes of warmth, of love and comfort, had stopped scaring her as she grew used to them. Loki hadn't mentioned it again, and neither had Rila or Alona. She just accepted it was probably nothing big, she was female after all. She could probably sense the Mother just like they could, even though she wasn't an Elf. No big deal.

She sighed, pressing her palm against the wood, closing her eyes and letting herself fall into the warmth and vitality that throbbed against her palm. It was disturbingly simple and complex, a contradiction of sensations and perceptions, that fascinated Jane just as her equations and the stars had fascinated her in her life on Earth. She hadn't seen the stars in a month.

She almost jumped out of her skin when she felt a warm body slide into bed behind her, a familiar hand gently tracing the rise of her shoulder, as an arm twined around her waist and pulled her backwards into his embrace. She tensed, and then relaxed into him with a sigh, dropping her hand from the wood and leaning back into him. Pathetic though it sounded to herself, she couldn't turn him away. He was her only real comfort in this place.

"I know I have been neglecting you," Loki whispered in her ear. "And I know it has been difficult for you, Jane. This is not your world, and you are a stranger here."

"Gee, thanks for rubbing it in," she muttered sullenly, and smirked as she felt him inhale deeply for patience, against her back.

"I am sorry for my absence," he continued stiltedly, and she froze. "From now on, we will have more time together. I thought to teach you the basics of the Alfheim language and alphabet, so at least you can read and learn more about our new home."

Jane had to fight to ignore the warmth that blossomed within her when he said 'our'. Nonetheless, she felt touched by his obvious desire to help her settle in more. What was more, she suspected Loki knew she needed purpose, a reason to keep her going, keep her alive for all intents and purposes beyond the mundane routine of life. He did, after all, know her quite well by now. Especially after invading her dreams for months…

_A right pair we are. Most girls would be freaked out by the whole dreams-invading-thing. Nope, not me, not Jane Foster…_

Jane inwardly shook her head at herself. "You're rubbing off on me too much," she murmured.

"How so?" he asked, and she could picture his puzzled frown.

"My inner voice is nearly as annoying as you are," she replied lightly, before turning over in his arms to face him. A weak shaft of moonlight bisected his face in two, throwing one half into shadow, the other in stark relief, as he frowned down at her. "And an apology? Damn it, I don't have anything to record it-" she smirked up at him teasingly.

"You tread on dangerous ground, mortal," he hissed at her, just making her laugh at him. She stroked his cheek, and he nuzzled into the touch, piercing her heart.

"What have you been talking to Frey about?" she asked softly.

"He has attempted to talk to me about my birth, about the lies the All-Father told," he replied, with a sardonic smirk. "Trying to justify them. With little success. The truth of it is, he may be the All-Father's servant, but he has always been my mother's man. He has little stomach for the task, and it is clear to both of us that it's a hopeless endeavour. Nothing he can say will justify what was done to me."

"Forgiving someone isn't about justifying their behaviour," Jane murmured. "It's about forgiving them in spite of their justifications, not because of them, so you can move on. It'll take time, Loki."

"You are a far wiser creature than Frey," he chuckled down at her. "You can say in a few words what it took nearly a month for him to decide for himself."

Jane snorted. "Yeah, well maybe us mortals aren't as silly as you like to think," she countered, and his grin deepened.

"Perhaps one or two," he replied slyly, prompting a slap on the shoulder from Jane, until he pinned her wrists down above her head. "I'm still not certain however."

They both stilled, desire washing over them both, as their gazes dropped to one another's lips. Jane stretched up as Loki bent his head down, their lips meeting in a clash of passion, as they slowly sunk into the warmth and comfort of their bed.

* * *

The next month passed even faster to Jane. Under Loki's tutelage, she began to grasp the concepts and basic structure of the Alfheim written language and alphabet. She was by no means fluent, but she was quick, and now she could haltingly decipher one or two passages in books from the huge library Frey kept.

Her friendship with Kaila and Rila grew, although Alona was more distant. When Loki told them of her progress, they began bringing small books of poetry and history with them when they visited, and Jane would have the opportunity to practice with them as well as Loki. When she became more fluent, they promised to bring more books, of Alfheim science, for her to read and learn. Orally, she was more proficient, and she, Loki, Rila and Kaila began having spirited discussions about Earth concepts, Aesir magic and Alfheim theories.

To her relief, Loki seemed to be getting better every day. While undoubtedly still haunted and angry, he was visibly relaxed away from everything he had once loved, and at first Jane had wondered about that. Then she'd realised, she'd seen that for Loki, this banishment was a chance to get away from everything he both hated and loved, and the shadow of a past full of lies and deceit. Here, he could heal and forge his own path without the reminder of what might have been and what would never be.

To her surprise, Jane too began to stop missing Earth quite so much. It wasn't that she didn't miss it at all, more that her yearning was tempered by the fact that she was coming to love Alfheim, its people, and the city in the trees. She still missed the stars, however.

Loki watched her often, during those early months. He searched for signs of resentment, or discontent, and while he knew she missed her home, he could see Jane had truly come to love Alfheim, as he always had. Her knowledge of the Alfheim language was only progressing, and very soon she would need little assistance from him or from Rila. She could already speak it well enough, enough to survive. Most Elves now spoke in the Common dialect, introduced by Frey when he became ruler, not their native tongue first, but it still remained, as a tradition, much like weaponscraft. He found that teaching Jane, guiding her and protecting her in this new world, became an unexpected pleasure for him, a distraction from the darkness and the unease that always plagued him. Her mind was sharper even than he'd realised, and she grasped unfamiliar concepts of magic and science with ease. He was contemplating teaching her how to shoot and to use a knife, just for something else to occupy their time, if she wished to. She'd become his student as well as his companion, and he'd found as much pleasure in teaching her as in making love to her. He revisited old worlds at her side, and saw them anew through her eyes. She was a guiding, warming light for him to cling to, and he could not imagine a Universe in which Jane Foster had not been born.

Sometimes he despised his ever-growing dependency on her, but he saw it was mutual. Jane needed him as much as he needed her. He no longer felt shame when he awoke, plagued by nightmares of darkness and pain, he couldn't; not when Jane so fearlessly and unselfconsciously let him see the pain she carried deep within herself, when she herself awoke from nightmares, remembering scenes of violence and death that he'd had some part in. How she didn't shrink from him then, he never knew, only that he was grateful she did not. He was changing, thanks to her, but into what, he didn't know.

She did not perhaps see it, but she was changing too. Her hair was longer and flowing down her back, her skin gaining some of the radiance that Rila and the other Elven women possessed. And there was the fact that she too could feel the presence of the Mother, the telepathic connection they had to the sentience that was the planet itself. Even Loki, with his advanced magical abilities, could feel only a distant, minute echo of her, but it seemed every time Jane even touched the trees of the Forest, she could feel the Mother. Several times, he'd interrupted her, staring fixated and almost in a trance, where she sat or stood with a hand against the trunk of a tree. He wondered at her talent, and pondered it, but kept it to himself. For all that Frey was like a grandfather to him, he was the All-Father's servant, and he would not trust him in this. If Jane did have some kind of connection, some talent buried deep within her, he would not have it exploited by anyone.

There was no news of Asgard, but Loki found himself barely caring. Asgard was not his home, had never really been, and while he was still healing, still rediscovering who he was, without the veneer pressed upon him by the All-Father, he was content. The old desire to prove himself, by any means, had begun to dissipate. It no longer troubled him as it had done, only a year before, even. The loss of his magic chafed, wounded his pride, but gone was the burden of power, the burden Loki was only just beginning to comprehend. He had no doubt he would regain it, eventually.

For the first time in centuries, he was without a shadow, without the constant contempt and lagging uncertainty that had always plagued him, before he found out the truth, and after, and he felt almost…happy.

* * *

_Laufeyson…_

_Laufeyson…_

_He saw Asgard in flames, he saw the Forest of Alfheim screaming and writhing in flame, the Mother crying out with every convulsion, every death of her Children._

_He felt the rush of death, the cold of pain and torture and sorrow, all-consuming sorrow, as he looked around, and saw a Universe of ashes._

_I am coming, Laufeyson…_

_Frigg, dead, her eyes wide and staring, Thor dead, Sif, dead, the All-Father dead, all of them dead…_

_Did you think I would forget about you?_

_Jane, dead. But not slowly, no. _

_The others I will kill quickly, making you watch until you acknowledge your own helplessness in the face of Death, but she…? The little mortal who took you from me…? No, hers' is a death I will force you to witness, as she cries out in an ecstasy of agony and despair. You remember, don't you, Laufeyson?_

_They will all die…!_

* * *

Loki's mind tore itself free from nightmare, as he started upright with a gasp. His entire body felt compressed, forced without his will, as his eyes stared blindly around the room. He felt cool, little hands on him, soothing, calming, but he ignored them.

A voice called his name, but he saw only the cold, deathly visage of the Other, his bloody teeth bared. _"If you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no barren moon, no crevice where he cannot find you! You think you know pain? He will make you long for something sweet as pain!_

"LOKI!" the second voice snapped him out of it, as he flung off the hands trying to restrain him, trying to soothe him, as he fled from the bed. He looked back and Jane lay there, half-arisen, her hair loose and ruffled, her slender, slight body clad in soft, nearly transparent blood-red silk, her face a rictus of pain and horror and pity, her eyes questioning. "Loki?" she said his name again, softer this time, a gentle plea.

_I will make her writhe and howl for mercy. She will know none just as you did not, and she will curse your name, Laufeyson…_

_Jane, bleeding. Jane, screaming. Jane, dead._

"It was nothing," he said abruptly. "Go back to sleep."

"Like hell it was," she murmured, getting up determinedly. Desperate, forcing all his tumult of emotions aside, he reached for his surcoat and slipped it on, turning his back to her as she pursued him. "Loki, please!"

Her shout, desperate and afraid, made him pause but he could only spare her a glance over his shoulder and repeat his words. "Go back to sleep, Jane."

He saw the wound in her eyes even as he made it, regretting it all, but this…this he could not ask her to share. This he would not trouble her with. Some burdens were his alone to bear. Forcing his trembling aside, he turned away and left her there, standing in the moonlight, alone.

* * *

He went out, into the treetops, swinging and jumping from branch to branch with the agility he'd learned as a boy. The thought of showing this to Jane whispered across his mind, and he flinched from it.

The sickly chill of his nightmare began to dissipate, as he stopped and leaned his head back against a tree. He felt that distant echo, nudging softly against his mind, and closed his eyes.

Coldly, he examined the dream, forcing away the nausea. The realisation that Thanos had found him, was taunting him, was only confirmation of what Loki had been waiting for. He didn't doubt the Titan's rage, or his desire for vengeance.

He'd expected the threat against his home, the people who sheltered him, his former family on Asgard that for all his lingering resentment and pain, he would not truly wish dead, not now, even the destruction of the Universe…but why her? Why Jane?

He laughed at himself, scornfully. Thanos saw more clearly into his soul than even Jane did, it seemed. He'd told himself all this time, since that kiss atop Stark Tower, that Jane was his, but in the same way one could say a friend were theirs, at most. She was a companion, a lover, and his student and he didn't underestimate the debt he owed her, but he had not suspected, had not even let the thought form in his head, until tonight…

He loved her. He was in love with Jane Foster.

That insidious emotion, the one emotion he'd still sought to seal off from his heart, and she drew it out of him anyway. Anger smote him for a moment, as his lingering darkness and madness demanded to know why she dared to do so, to weaken him like this. Was it all a game to her?

He clenched his fists and forced that line of thinking to cut off. That impulsive being rising within him was the product of Thanos's attentions, it was not him. Jane would no more seek to manipulate him thus than he would her, not now. She didn't mean to make him love her.

But now, he didn't know what to do. He could go to Frey, inform him of his dreams, but he had no guarantee the old man would believe a word he said, or relay it to Asgard. And in any case, he did not trust the old man enough anymore to expose a weakness before him. Yet, he had no choice…

With a sigh, as the sun began to rise above the canopy, he turned back and prepared to do what he hated most. Asking for help.

And in the meantime, he needed to do all he could to protect Jane. At any cost.

* * *

Jane wasn't entirely sure what had happened the night before, but she was determined to find out. She'd spent a restless night after Loki had stormed out, tossing and turning, and hoping he'd come back. The way he had told her to go back to bed chilled her, so cold and arrogant, so unlike the warm, comforting lover she'd known since coming to Alfheim.

Well, she wasn't going to lose him now. She wasn't going to see all her work undone; if this was one of his moods he'd warned her about, she was going to damn well drag him out of it. After she'd risen from bed, eaten something, and dressed, she'd gone looking for him.

He wasn't anywhere in their house, nor could she find him in Frey's. She wandered the city, looking for him, but no one had seen him.

Finally, at mid day, she'd begun to trudge back to their house when she finally saw him, talking with Frey and some of the other male Ruling Council members. They all looked grave.

Immediately, she walked up and smiled politely to Frey and the others, all of whom smiled and bowed to her. Loki just stared at her, through suddenly cold and unreadable eyes. A shiver ran down her spine.

"I've been looking for you all day," she told him coolly. Two could play at that game. "Can I talk to you?"

"I am busy, at present," he replied distantly. "We will speak later."

He'd never spoken to her like that before. Cold as ice now, she squared her shoulders and walked away, refusing to let any of them see her hurt at his rejection.

* * *

She didn't see him for the rest of the day, and only saw him in passing as she readied for bed. She had just finished getting ready for bed, when she'd turned and found him watching her, an inscrutable expression on his face, almost like pain. Determinedly, she turned to face him.

"What's wrong, Loki?" she asked firmly. "And don't tell me, it was nothing. That nightmare last night was not 'nothing'."

"It was nothing of consequence," he replied coolly. She bristled.

"You typically leave the room when a nightmare's nothing of consequence, huh?" she asked, making quotation marks with her fingers, sarcastically. "Pull the other one, Loki."

"You, Jane Foster, do not have any special right to know everything in my mind," he retorted haughtily, as she stared at him, his words giving her a virtual kick in the stomach. "There is little you could do to assist me in any case."

She snarled at that. "Well, since I apparently lack the brainpower and the right DNA to 'assist' you, then go find somewhere else to sleep," she replied coldly, hanging on to her pride as much as she could as she walked out, brushing past him in the process. She felt his hand flex, as if to haul her back, but was grateful when he didn't. In her current mood, she might have slapped him.

* * *

The next morning, she woke up alone. And the morning after that, and the morning after that.

She almost never saw Loki, now, only passing glances. She sometimes heard him cry out at night, wherever he slept in the house, but she restrained the urge to go to him. He'd made it quite clear he didn't want her, and her injured pride was not going to let her force herself on him. He stopped speaking to her, stopped treating her with warmth or even as an equal. She hated it.

And the worse of it was, that she was only just beginning to accept that maybe, she loved him.

_Well, that's what you get for going with alien guys, Jane! Moron! He probably got tired of you, and now's he dumped you._

Her head alternately spat hateful words at her, or tried to find some solution, some reason for their current situation. She hated it when it did that.

Closing her eyes, she squeezed them as tightly as she could, burying her head in her pillow. Even those strange flashes of warmth that she felt when she touched anything did nothing to comfort her now.

Jane forced herself to appear as distant as possible, now staring straight ahead if she and Loki met, at all, and she spent all her time with Rila and Kaila, studying to bury her hurt, so much so that she forgot to eat, or even to sleep sometimes. She would pass out in the library and awaken in her bed. She didn't bother to ask who brought her there.

She woke up most days feeling ill, tired and lethargic, but dragged herself out of bed anyway. Hope was gone even as she forced herself to keep going, her pride driving her onwards. Sometimes she had dizzy spells, and felt faint. Sometimes, she did faint, although she never told anyone.

Sometimes, she would wake up at night, shivering violently; feeling like cold had somehow struck deep into her, as if she'd been stabbed with a blade of ice. She knew she should tell someone, go to the healer, but she didn't want to be a burden on these people, and Loki didn't care. It was probably just cold, or maybe her body readjusting to Alfheim. It would probably pass soon enough.

Spring began to fade into Summer, and the Solstice approached. Preparations were being made for a great festival, or so Kaila told Jane excitedly. Everyone would wear their finest clothes, and dance into the night, to celebrate the longest day and the shortest night on Alfheim.

Jane smiled and pretended excitement; she endured dress fittings with Rila and Kaila. She didn't notice the concerned looks from either of her friends, or the increasingly concerned looks from the man who watched from afar. He knew he was causing her pain, but he needed to keep her safe, at least until this was over, and for that, he needed to stay distant.

He would make amends, somehow, even as his shrivelled heart whispered it might be too late.

* * *

A week later, they received an unexpected visitor. Frigg, hooded and cloaked in the night, appeared in her son's chamber, smiling and warm despite the concern in her eyes.

Loki smiled warmly to her too, and bid her sit. Jane was already asleep, or so he believed.

"How are you, my son?" she asked. "I have asked Heimdall, but it is difficult with your father's edicts."

"Well enough, mother," he replied, the word tripping off his tongue with more ease this time.

"And Jane?" Frigg asked, not missing the tightening in her most evasive child's face as he gave a noncommittal answer. "Oh, my love. What have you done?"

He was powerless before her. Awkwardly, he told her of his dreams and Thanos's threats, and his enforced distance from Jane. As expected, she barely blinked at the threat to her own life, but to the others; to Thor, to Odin, to Asgard, Alfheim and to Jane, her jaw firmed and rage burned in her eyes.

"I will be sure to tell your father of this," she replied, after a short spell of silence. "In a roundabout way. I am technically forbidden from seeing you, and things have been…difficult for him. As you probably suspect…"

"I have no doubt Thor will soon be King," Loki stated evenly, showing no sign of repentance or regret. "It had to be done, Mother."

"I only hope it was the right thing, my son," Frigg sighed, with a weary smile, before her expression sobered and her eyes flashed. "And you can cease this ridiculous distance you have forced between you and Jane. It will do neither of you good. Have the nightmares ceased?" she asked forcefully. Loki looked away, and she had her answer. "I thought so. You harm only yourself by this, Loki, and an innocent."

"I cannot see her in harm's way, Mother. I…love her too much," he replied tersely.

"Do you love her enough to let her make that choice?" she asked bluntly. Loki stayed silent, with confused, torn eyes as she rose and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

* * *

Frigg remained to spend the next day with Jane. Despite her advice, Loki still stayed away.

Jane was happy to see her, and they talked of Alfheim and her studies, and the difference in cultures. Despite her animated conversation, Frigg could see the strain in Jane's eyes, and noticed how pale and weak she looked, how thin she had become from overwork and heartbreak. But when she gently probed her on Loki, Jane just shook her head stubbornly.

"He made it clear he no longer wants me," she replied coolly, with all the reserve of a Queen. "He can do what he likes for all I care."

Frigg knew that was a lie, and that Jane possessed a will at least as stubborn and ironclad as either of her sons. She sighed as she left them, uncertain any of her words to them would help matters. But this was not for her to interfere with; just as she sensed the new life growing within Jane, or that Jane had not eaten the Apple. That was not for her to reveal either to Jane, or to Loki. Only they could bridge the gulf that had spread between them.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	6. The Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Veritas

Warnings: Sexual content, violence and some dark themes.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'Aniron' by Enya, 'Nyah and Ethan' from 'Mission Impossible II' and 'A Promise Kept' from 'Titanic'.

* * *

_'Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye'_

_- H. Jackson Brown, Jr_

* * *

Frigg's words would not stop haunting Loki as the Summer Solstice approached. His entire body yearned to go to Jane, his treacherous heart rebelling against his mind. He found himself missing her violently, her laughter, her smiles, the way her eyes glowed when they talked, be it an argument or a discussion. The coldness she now showed towards him, the match of his own, was like a dagger twisting into his heart with every moment. The dreams had only grown worse, and waking up to cold, empty air, was torture.

He missed her body against his own, missed the conversations they used to have, in both the Old tongue of Alfheim and in the Common dialect, and he just missed her. Jane, his Jane.

Was this distance really the best way? This enforced gulf that only made his life, and hers, more miserable? Why had he even decided on this course of action? He had told Frigg and Frey, they would make sure it reached the right ears, and preparations would be made.

As he looked hard at himself, stood above the crowd in the main square of the city, gathering for the dancing and the feasting, he had to admit this was more a reflection of the way he saw Jane than anything else. She was so human, so mortal, that he truly feared for her survival, regardless of their ability to hold Thanos back. He doubted his ability to protect her, as he doubted nothing else.

He didn't want to lose her, no matter the cost, but what if the cost was he lost her forever? He couldn't stand that thought. It had been too long since they last made love, his body ached for hers fiercely. Standing at the balcony of Frey's palace, looking down at the crowd as he glimpsed his Jane among them, glorious in green and gold, his fist clenched and he uttered a silent vow to himself, and to her. _No more._

* * *

It had been a few days since Frigg left them, and Jane was confused, her heart torn between heaviness and joy, between scepticism and hope. She so wanted to hope again.

Standing in the crowd with Rila and Kaila, both radiant in golden silk the colour of corn and blue the colour of a brook in the forest, she smiled and ate, covering up the turmoil in her heart.

She knew enough of the Old tongue now to follow the songs the Elves sang, and to join in, even though she was no singer. Her own gown fit her exquisitely, and for once she felt well again. Determinedly, she told herself she wasn't going to let Loki, or anyone, ruin today for her. The night had started first with a feast, where Jane ate more than she ever thought possible, and silently wished for a steak, and then followed a blessing by Frey and the Ruling Council, the Elves praying to the Mother in their beautiful, lilting language, for protection and a kind Winter. Then the dancing had started, and Jane's feet were starting to feel it, even as energy flowed through her like nothing she'd ever known before, the pulsing, throbbing vitality of the Forest gifted to its inhabitants for this one night, as she laughed and danced freely, without consciousness or thought. It was liberating.

She felt a shudder rush through her, and looked up with a shock, to realise Loki was watching her from the veranda of Frey's palace, his eyes fixed unerringly on her, a look of such pain and longing in his eyes that her heart quivered and her soul flapped its wings in weak hope.

She lost sight of him again, but always felt his gaze on her, as she let Kaila pull her into the dance. It was a fast, chaotic one, which saw her almost tossed from partner to partner, until they became a blur, and she laughed, feeling free and light, her body like air.

Then the music changed, to a slower, more seductive beat, the equivalent of flutes on Alfheim softly trilling as Jane felt a shiver of expectation, as spaces cleared for partners. She turned, and Loki was there, reaching for her, and she willingly let him slide his hands around her waist and pull her into him.

But she wasn't going to let him get away with his behaviour from recent weeks. "Talking to me again, now are we? Decided I'm worth your notice?" she asked acerbically. Loki's eyes glittered in the light of the lanterns, flickering like flame except the Elves would burn no wood. The light came from their magic.

"I had a reason for all this," he replied softly. Jane snorted and let the rhythm of the dance carry her away from him, but he hauled her back at the first opportunity. Their bodies brushed and shifted together in an unconscious tease, and Jane could feel her body turning to jelly in his arms, limp and yielding.

"I'm breathless to hear it," she countered coolly, despite herself.

"Forgive me," he breathed, truly drawing her up short. She stared up at him, his hair gilded by the light of the lanterns, his skin painted both dark and light at once, his eyes shining with regret and a plea that spoke to her very soul. She shuddered and let him draw her closer, ignoring the movements of the dance now, lost in one of their own making, their joint heartbeats an erotic beat beneath their skins.

"Two apologies, that must be a record," she muttered, looking away. "Why should I trust you? How do I know this isn't a game?" Tears stung her eyes, her voice shaking with anger and longing. "You hurt me, Loki."

"I know," he breathed. "Jane, please believe me that I…that I did not distance myself from you because I tired of you, or that I think this a game. Would that it was, then I could just put a stop to it all…my love."

Jane froze, staring up at him in shock, but her eyes were shining. Hope, ever a ready companion for Jane, flapped its' wings, strong and insidious. Her heart burned for him, the reciprocal confession at the tip of her tongue, but she held it back determinedly. "You'd better explain what's been going on, Loki," she murmured softly, as he nodded in agreement.

"And I will, but not tonight," he breathed, holding her close. "Please, let's not darken this night by talking of that. Please, Jane."

The unspoken plea in his voice was almost more than Jane could bear, and she reluctantly acquiesced, with a shiver of trepidation. Whatever it was couldn't be good.

They danced for what felt like an interminable time to Jane, she had little idea of time or other people while she was in Loki's arms. He drew her from the crowd, and towards their house. She walked by his side, lithe and as lovely as any Elf maiden he'd seen that night, in her gown of golden yellow, overlaid by a transparent layer of fresh spring green. Someone had draped a wreath of purple blossoms over her head, and they had ridden low onto her collarbone, draped over her breasts. Her hair was long and loose, and had taken on a copper hue in the shifting, silvery light of the Forest canopy above them.

Her skin shone as if lit from within, making her look both fragile and ethereal in the night, as she walked by his side. He could see the dark circles under her eyes and knew she had not been well; he cursed his own stupidity now. If Thanos didn't kill her, he would inadvertently do the job for him, if he was not careful.

He would be more careful, he had to be. He could not lose her.

* * *

The moment they were alone in their bedchamber, Loki did not hesitate. His body burned for hers, and his kiss was longing and all-consuming, smothering Jane's hesitance. He backed her against the wall, feeling the dim echo of the vitality contained within the living wood in his blood, firing it anew. It would be a thousand times more potent for Jane, and she gasped trembling into his kiss, suddenly grasping his hair tightly enough to hurt him.

She pushed him onto the bed, straddling him as she had done on their first night on Alfheim, all need and dominance, and he couldn't resist her. He was so full of emotion, emotion he had once scorned and despised, but now he could not imagine a life less full for its lack. Jane was his, but even more importantly, she was his love. He remembered her words to him on Asgard, and shuddered to think how much he had failed. He wondered if she now regretted following him. Trusting him with everything she had to give, even without knowing she gave it, and she only desired the reciprocal trust, that he gave her everything in return. Now, with Jane's lips on his, her heart racing with the beat of their lust and the love he hoped existed within her as it did him, her body surrounding him entirely, he made a fresh vow, one he truly intended to fulfil or die trying, to never let her go again.

There would be much to say, much to explain in the morning, and Jane would be merciless in her quest for the truth, he was sure of that. A part of him wondered why she had so easily yielded before. He wished she hadn't, he wished now she had forced it out of him, fought and torn him apart until he revealed all. He mentally winced at the memory of his words to her, his coldness, his callousness. That, he suspected, had done more damage than his words, more a blow to her pride and her compassion than any insult. His quiet, unstated rejection.

_Oh Jane, forgive me, my love. _

As his body loved hers, and she loved his, throughout the night, spurred on by the magic and the heat of the Solstice, and the warm, steady vitality exuded by the planet herself, he begged her forgiveness, confessed his love, cried her name. But not outwardly, not verbally, no; with his body, with his kiss, his hands, the pleasure he knew well how to overwhelm her with, until she was crying his name in supplication and passion. He almost felt as if the magic had returned to his veins, where he had felt nothing but its lack for months now, but it was just Jane. Just his Jane.

* * *

_It was always the same dream, the same visions of blood and nightmare and death, and he couldn't break free._

_This time however, the blood and the torture was reserved for just one person, and Loki could feel his heart breaking with every scream, every plea, every cry of his name._

_You will not break me, he told the dream. I will not let you weaken me again._

_Because this was not real, this Jane, broken and bloody, calling out to him in a paroxysm of hatred, hope and desperation, was not his Jane. Would never be his Jane._

_His Jane was strong, a warrior and a scientist, with the inner steel of a thousand Mjolnirs. This was not real, and he would no longer allow it to influence him, to weaken him by driving Jane away. No more._

_Enough!_

* * *

Loki tore himself free from the tendrils of nightmare, jerking awake with a gasp. Beside him, Jane lay, peacefully asleep, undisturbed by his nightmare. Her hand was spread over his heart, and he hoped that its wild beating would not wake her. He needed air.

With a kiss pressed to her hair, he extricated himself from her arms, dressing only in his shirt, breeches and boots, and went to leave the room when he heard Jane's voice, soft and questioning. "Loki? Where are you going?" she asked, sitting up slightly in bed. He turned and smiled reassuringly.

"I just need some air, my love," he told her tenderly, going back to the bed to press another kiss to her lips. "Go back to sleep, dearest," he continued, stroking her cheek and hair. "I promise I will tell all in the morning, but for now, sleep, please."

"I'll hold you to that," Jane breathed, as she reluctantly settled back down to sleep, Loki making sure the covers were tightly pulled over her naked form.

Once her eyes closed, his smile turned to a frown, as he walked away and out to the veranda, looking out over the now silent city, quiet before the dawn. Another nightmare, but this one he'd fought, this one he had freed himself from.

He did not relish the conversation to come in the morning, as he sat in the cool and the dark, staring out at the darkness. It would be difficult, and it would mean he had to reveal all of himself to Jane, all his weaknesses and his darkness, but then she had never been afraid of that. But he might hurt her with his reasons for his distance, that he feared her mortality, her fragility, and what her death would mean to him. That might well anger her, and he'd seen what a fire spirit she could be. She could be the definition of an ice queen, as well. She certainly gave as good as she got, as the Earth saying went.

He would make it up to her. Remembering her love of the stars, and her sadness that she could no longer see them every night, an idea occurred to him and took shape. He had no desire to sleep again, not if it meant another nightmare, but his lips curled as his idea solidified. He might no longer have magic, but there were other ways.

He smiled, as he stood from his perch and climbed up the trees that made their house, into their canopy, pressed his hand to the living wood and focused.

He would make this gift for Jane, and when it was done, he would give it to her and confess everything.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	7. Everyone Has A Dark Side

Veritas

Warnings: Dark themes.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'Tenuous Winners/Returning Home' from 'The Hunger Games', 'Loki's Lie' from 'Thor' and 'The End' from 'The Dark Knight Returns'.

* * *

_'We're born alone, we live alone, we die alone. Only through our love and friendship can we create the illusion for the moment that we're not alone.'_

_- Orson Welles_

* * *

Jane awoke alone, as she had done for the past few weeks. Her heart sank as she sat up, pulling back the covers of her bed, determinedly diverting her eyes from the indent on the other side.

_Probably just wanted a quickie, and as always, you fell for it, Foster._ That familiar, nagging little voice whispered nastily, as she closed her eyes, forcing back tears. _Treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen. Just like Donald and the others…_

She sighed and stood, stretching out cramped, stiff muscles, and winced when she noticed the bruises on her skin. He'd been rougher than usual, almost desperate…and he'd said he would tell her what was going on, what was wrong with him. He'd had a nightmare, she dimly recalled, and walked out but this time, he hadn't just dismissed her like a tiresome serving girl. He'd promised he would tell her everything…

She was probably a fool for believing him, but remembering his desperate, pained eyes and the longing she had felt in him, as potent and irresistible as her own, last night, she couldn't help hoping. A wave of dizziness accosted her, and she frowned as she was forced to lean against the wall, just for a moment, to regain her balance. Nausea welled up, and she forced herself to run, stumbling all the way, to her bathing chamber to throw up.

When she was done, gasping and heaving for breath, she sat back, against the wall and closed her eyes. _What is happening to me? I probably just drank too much mead last night…_

A comforting wave of warmth washed over her from the wood, and she smiled. "Thanks," she murmured, unknowingly, before forcing herself upright to rinse her mouth out, wash and dress. Time to find Loki, to find some answers.

She couldn't find him in the house, and for a moment her heart sank again, but she drew herself up and gave herself a stern talking to. Loki had changed, last night, and if this was another attempt to push her away, it wasn't going to succeed. Not this time.

She was just stepping off their veranda when she heard him calling her name, and turned to look. He was climbing down from the canopy, as graceful and easy as a jungle panther, and her breath caught at the sight of him. Even without the aura his power had always projected, he still possessed an edge, of darkness and danger, about him that allured her helplessly.

She opened her mouth to speak, but he didn't stop, marching right up to her and kissing her soundly, until all thought of talking was flooded under a sea of desire. She stretched up and buried her hands in his hair, whimpering a little as he drew back, and mentally growling at herself for it.

"Well, that's what you call a good morning kiss," Jane quipped, her voice hoarse and weak. He smirked, a touch hesitant.

"I considered it the most appropriate type," he replied. "To reassure you that nothing has changed. What I said, last night, Jane I meant every word."

"Alright," Jane nodded. "So tell me. What happened to you?"

"The nightmares were no ordinary remembrances of my past, Jane," he began to explain slowly, taking her arm and leading her away from their house, among the people but private. No one tried to interrupt them. "They came from Thanos."

Gradually he explained that Thanos had sent him nightmares, warnings essentially, of all that he was planning to do in revenge for Loki's betrayal. In particular to Jane.

Jane listened, intently, without a word, her brows furrowed ever so slightly. She said nothing, and Loki felt increasingly uneasy, but he kept talking, until he finally reached the end of his tale, and Jane finally spoke.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked quietly, standing so still and cool, that he was momentarily struck speechless. He watched her closely, but there was no hint of fear, no vestige of anger, just worryingly cool eyes, staring back at him. "Why did you push me away?"

"I did not tell you because I did not wish to frighten you-" he tried to dodge the confession he'd dreaded making, but Jane's quicksilver mind beat him to it.

"You did not trust me," she replied quickly, her voice still cool and without inflection, giving him no clue as to her feelings. She was becoming more like him by the day, and it worried him. Where was her fire, her anger? Was this what he had created? "You thought I would be scared off, or that my lowly mortal status meant I could not be trusted with the truth, as if I'd have a nervous breakdown or demand to go back to Earth. You didn't blink when I told you I'd come with you to Asgard, you didn't say more than a few half-hearted words when I told you I would come here with you. What's changed?"

He inhaled deeply, tightly, feeling pressure build in his chest. He knew the answer to that question, and after last night, he was certain she knew it too. But this was his punishment, no doubt, for hurting and underestimating her, by making him say it aloud.

"You know why, Jane," he replied evasively. Her eyes hardened, becoming amber gems, hard as granite, and he finally saw the first flashes of anger in them.

"You can't even say it, can you?" she murmured, still cold, still controlled despite herself. "You know what, don't even bother trying to. I don't want it if you're only saying it because you feel you have to. And for the record, I might be a weak, lowly mortal still in your eyes but I know what I can do, and that is making my own choices. You should have trusted me to do that, Loki, and the fact that you didn't…" she trailed off, turning away and taking a deep breath. "I thought you knew me better than that. That you trusted me more than that."

"I know, and…please, Jane, forgive me," he breathed, stepping forward and enfolding her in his arms. The words were as difficult to get out as the ones he knew he should say, not because it would appease her, but because they were true. He was not used to asking forgiveness, neither was he used to or comfortable with exposing his heart so readily.

For one moment, Jane relaxed into his hold and he inhaled deeply the sweet scent of her hair, freshly washed and fragrant, before she inhaled suddenly and pulled away, leaving him bereft. "I probably will," she said softly, with a wry half-smirk that pained him more than any venom or insults she could have thrown at him. "Forgive you, I mean. But I need time, Loki, alone to think, to work out what this all means, for me and for you."

Those words did more to panic him than a thousand of Thanos's nightmares. He despised himself for his weakness when he spoke. "But you are coming back?"

"I'll come back when I feel ready to," she replied, still so serene and calm, that it just made Loki angry. He gripped her arms, thoughtlessly, as she winced. "Loki, let me go!"

"No, not like this," he growled. "What's happened to you? Where are the fire and the rage I'd have expected from you? Anything, just not this coldness, this, this-!"

"Remind you of someone?" she asked, with a pointed look. Roughly, she wrested herself away, the disappointment and hurt shining in her eyes and he ached to pull her back, to do anything, be anything, she demanded of him to heal this hurt. The strength of his love, his need of her, terrified him anew and he hated it but he could not do without it, not now. It was as much a part of him as the blue skin that lurked beneath the façade of his Aesir self. She stood slight and pale, before him, barely reaching his chin, but in that moment, he felt smaller than an ant before her calmness and her serene dismissal. "And for what it's worth…." She trailed off, before she slapped him around the face, hard. For a moment, all her rage and fire spilt through her façade, and his body thrilled to the heat, to the fire to his ice, but then it was shielded once more, and Jane turned and walked away without another glance.

* * *

Jane was barely aware of where she was walking, only that she needed to get away from Loki, from this damned city, from everything. Just for a little while, so she could sort through this morass of pain and hurt in her heart.

As she walked, she thought through everything Loki had told her. She wasn't surprised about the nightmares, they'd both suspected that Thanos would seek revenge against him, and beneath her anger she felt horror and pity for his suffering. Those visions were clearly torturing him.

But that was too easily overwhelmed by the hurt and the anger, that he'd deliberately kept them from her, dismissed her and forced her away, all because he'd not trusted her to handle it. That was the crux of the problem, that Loki still saw her as the weak, little mortal to be cosseted and patronised.

_Just like Donald and the others,_ a nasty little voice in her head whispered. _Thinking you're never good enough, never strong enough, because you're not, Jane Foster…_

She was dimly aware she was walking down winding steps, but she was too engrossed in her thoughts to notice when smooth wood turned to knotted roots, and then to tangling bushes and rutted earth.

_You're weak, Jane Foster, and you always will be. Do you really think that you can stop Thanos? A creature older than the Universe, with more power than you could ever dream of achieving? You are nothing more than an insect to him…_

Jane stopped, frowning. That voice in her head was not her own, and it was not Loki's….Thanos? No…

Just then, Jane realised where she'd gone while sunk deep in her own thoughts. She was on the Forest floor.

When she had asked Loki why the Elves never ventured to the Forest floor unless absolutely necessary, and never after dark, he'd told her it was because of the darkness that prowled the Forest's lower levels, weak in the daytime, but strong and powerful by night. Every living creature possesses a dark side, he'd said, and the Mother was no exception. She had been wounded during the Ice Wars, and the darkness she had unleashed had been the price She paid for her survival and the defeat of the Jotunns. Now, however, the darkness still prowled, inchoate and formless, but there like a pervasive poison, and in its shadows, dark creatures of the Long Winter, that had hunted and tormented the Light Elves of Alfheim, still thrived.

And it was growing dark.

* * *

Jane paused, before she spun, looking around frantically. She was on the Forest floor and the gates were nowhere in sight. All around her was quiet, still trees and bushes, but she shivered regardless. The Forest was held in a watchful silence, tense and poised, as if a predator, to pounce on the prey that had stumbled unwittingly into its midst.

"Damn it," Jane growled under her breath.

_Poor stupid, little Jane Foster…_That voice was back again. _Always stumbling into danger, aren't we? And this time, there is no one to help you…_

_Except me,_ a stronger, familiar voice spoke up, proud and defiant, inside her head even as she winced as cruel laughter sprung up, and even the leaves rustled as if laughing at her. Loki had told her the Forest was sentient, that the Mother was sentient, a living planet that both nurtured and protected the Elves. That was why they lived above the Forest floor, so the darkness the Mother had released would not harm them. This planet was like Loki, she realised, unable to control its own darkness. That knowledge flared within her, stronger and stronger, giving her strength as the cruel voice weakened. Sternly, she eyed it in her mind, a dark, formless cloud, and glared. _You won't win, because even though once upon a time, I'd have believed every word you've said about me, not now. Yeah, I do get myself into mad situations, but hey, that's my curse. Loki chose me because it was __**my **__mind that was capable of bringing him through, and it was me that saved that security guard, that stopped him killing anyone in Stuttgart, that saved Coulson and persuaded him to stop the Chitauri in New York._

In her mind, the darkness hissed and roiled, denied its' prey. _I helped Loki, I got him across three States, I stood against Odin, the All-Father, for God's sake! I stood up for him against Sif, and I've held him when he awoke, screaming from nightmares, fighting against his own darkness so many times. _

_He will destroy you. Darkness cannot be restrained, and it is so very powerful within him…_That voice pointed out snidely, mockingly. It took on the shape of her exe, Donald, tall, handsome and arrogant. _You don't know what you're doing, Jane, and you're still as clueless as ever…_

_Nope, don't think so, _Jane's inner voice replied. _I mean I don't have all the answers, no one does. But I've got a few, and until Thanos popped along, we were fine._

_Yes, and he pushed you away, didn't he? Knew you couldn't handle it, how could you? Weak, useless little mortal…_

For a moment, all of Jane's insecurities rushed to the fore and she stiffened. Her entire body was trembling with exertion and she felt sick. She was lost in the Forest, and it was having the time of its life playing with her. She clenched her fists, and dropped the serene shield she'd always used, since coming here, unknowingly mimicking Loki at his most unreadable, and instead allowed her anger free rein.

The heat of that anger gave her strength. Yes, this was who she really was. Fire and heat and light and….power, her own power, hidden deep within. With a mocking smile in her mind, she turned to the Donald in front of her, even as the shadows grew long and the darkness grew ever more potent and tangled around her, snaring her body if it could not snare her mind. _I may be mortal, but that doesn't make me weak. _She thought of the Avengers and smiled to herself. _It isn't Tony's arc reactor that makes him powerful, it's his brain. It isn't the serum that made Steve so strong, it's his heart. It wasn't loss of control that meant Bruce helped us in New York; it was his strength of will. And it wasn't guilt that made Clint and Natasha what they were, but self-knowledge. And they're all so human, so mortal, but it gives us a strength, a spur to fight on, so much stronger than the mighty Aesir, or the Elves, or Jotunns or even the darkness._

_I am strong, I am capable and I will make Loki rue the day he ever thought otherwise. I am not his pet, or his servant. I am myself, me, my own, Jane Foster and no one will control me. If I go back, it is my choice. If I leave, it is my choice. I love him, but I will not let that rule me, he cannot do as he likes with me and expect me to just come running back. And do not think that you can either. I have a darkness, everybody does, and there's a part of me that's savage and full of hatred and bitterness and pain, but I control it. It does not control me._

The darkness spat and fumed, throwing image after image at her, some to seduce her, others to hurt her, but every one bounced off of her like arrowheads off a shield.

* * *

The Forest rippled and stirred uneasily. The sun had gone down, the shadows ruled but a new power had come, fighting the darkness with fire and light, a power that understood itself so well, that even while her light cast shadow, so the shadow could not exist without the light. The darkness attacked and ravaged her body, making it crumple to the ground, bloodied and exhausted, but within the fortress of her mind, Jane was safe and unassailable.

No one could touch her.

The darkness was troubled. It had not encountered such power as this in millennia, not since the Queen Mothers of old had been destroyed by the Ice Wars. But not so, because this power carried the taste of newer worlds, newer suns and strength that stemmed from the inevitability of death, not from fear of it. It could not touch her because she did not fear death, not anymore. Such strength could destroy worlds, or make them anew.

It had played and prowled, for centuries unchecked, the Mother that gave it birth unable to rein it in, no living creature safe from its grip, not even the Elves that lived above its sea, not even the Aesir who played at ruling and the Jotunn, torn by loathing and his own darkness, delicious and full of promise. But this one, one it had taunted and played with before, had suddenly come into her own, and nothing it could do would harm her mind, would break her soul. Her soul was like a brand of fire, cutting aside its' veils and shadows without effort.

It could not allow her to exist. If it could not have her mind, then it would destroy her body, and let her mind wander, bodiless and weak, on the winds.

But even as it attacked her body anew, a new power rose up from within her, but this held not the same taint of mortality and fire that she did. No, this one was both fire and ice, light and darkness, strength and brutality, and it shielded its' bearer from everything the darkness threw at her. Even barely alive, it conquered the darkness and called to the one above who had helped create it, calling him forth to search for them.

It could not fight this, for this power was of itself, even as it was of the other. One cannot fight oneself. The darkness receded, weakened and biding its time, but conquered, nonetheless.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	8. Finding Jane And A Few Other Surprises

Veritas

Warnings: Suggestive themes.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'Breath of Life' from 'The Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers' and 'Gift of a Thistle' from 'Braveheart'.

* * *

_'My heart beat fast and thick: I heard its throb. Suddenly it stood still to an inexpressible feeling that thrilled it through, and passed at once to my head and extremities. The feeling was not like an electric shock, but it was quite as sharp, as strange, as startling: it acted on my senses as if their utmost activity hitherto had been but torpor, from which they were now summoned and forced to wake. They rose expectant: eye and ear waited while the flesh quivered on my bones.'_

_- Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre, Chapter 35_

* * *

After he'd watched Jane walk away from him, straight-backed and proud, he'd gone, back to their house. Empty, echoing, it gave him no solace so instead he had climbed, up into the canopy to the gift he been shaping for Jane, the hard, flat wood beneath his feet as he stared up at the sky, replaying everything that had happened, every word that had been said.

He had tried to keep the truth from her, to protect her, and she had guessed the truth anyway. Her scientist's mind was too strong for lies or manipulations. But could she not see that his protectiveness stemmed from love, need and the desire to keep her safe? He did not do it to belittle her or to patronise her…and yet, he had.

She had accused him of seeing her as weak, lowly because of her mortal status, despite the choices she had made for him. As he sighed, sitting cross-legged on the wood, its' flashes of warmth a pleasant comfort against his mind, he had to admit she was right. He had loved her, but in his love, he had treated her as an inferior when she was not, not anymore. No, she didn't possess magic or physical strength the way he did, or that the Aesir did, but within her…within her was a strength that could conquer the mightiest darkness. She had conquered him, brought him back from the abyss Thanos had consigned him to, her trust and her fierce, fierce belief in him, in the better part of him, his anchor.

He had been a fool, he realised. If this was to work, if he was to gain back her trust and her heart, he had to love her as an equal and let her make her own choices, as she had always done. He inhaled sharply, as the canopy rippled and the breeze whispered softly against his skin.

He looked up at the sky and frowned. It was getting dark.

With a sigh, hoping she would have returned, he descended from the canopy and into their house. It was empty still, her chambers silent and dark.

He searched the rest of the house, his heart sinking in his chest, before striding quickly from their house, searching the city for her.

He couldn't find her, and the sun had set.

* * *

"My Lord!" a familiar voice called his name, and he spun to find Rila rushing to his side, her mate Baelen by her side. She was cool and courteous to him, but he gathered she fiercely defended Jane's side in their distance. On another day, he would thank her for her steady friendship with Jane, but not today. Today, fear rose up to choke him like a black poison. "My Lord, Lord Frey wished to speak with-?"

He grabbed her by the shoulders, as Baelen leapt at him with a cry, but he knocked him down, before taking hold of Rila once more. The auburn-haired she-Elf was too stunned to react. "Have you seen Jane?" he asked frantically. "She is missing, and I can find her nowhere."

Rila's struggles ceased and she frowned, worried. "I have not seen her since this morning, when she was walking with you," she replied, the corners of her mouth quirking downwards as she winced at his hold. He released her, gritting his teeth as he growled and spun away. "My Lord!"

He rushed away, ignoring her entirely, leaving her standing alone and concerned in her emerald tunic. He rushed to the palace, and into Frey's library. It was a cavernous room, made of the same shining, living wood as the rest of the city, its' floors and walls draped with deep, red rugs brought from Vanaheim, and the shelves reached from floor to ceiling. Loki had many fond memories from his boyhood, of time spent there at Frey's side when they visited, lessons learned and secrets shared. Frey sat where he always did, in front of a great fire, magical Loki observed, his feet up on a stool while he sat and read from a dusty tome behind his desk.

The older Aesir looked up with a smile at Loki's approach. "Ah, Loki!" he trailed off; however when he saw Loki's pale face and pained eyes. "My boy, what is it?"

Frey had not called him that since childhood. He stood, heaving Laevateinn from the desk, and strapping it to his waist. It looked heavier than it ought, but Loki filed away that interesting point for later. "Jane has disappeared. I have not seen her since this morning, and she is nowhere to be found in the city," he explained quickly. "I fear she has ventured into the Forest."

Frey paled beneath his beard, but gruffly clapped Loki on the shoulder. "We'll find her, lad, never fear," he told him cheerfully. Loki did not appreciate it.

Just then, he winced and slumped against the wall, deaf to Frey's concerned enquiries, his eyes unseeing as he looked inward.

Heat and ice washed through him, like a tidal wave, pulling back only to tug him with it, a definite pull in his mind. A summoning, if ever he felt one, and a powerful one. Magic, similar to his own, but with an unfamiliar tang, a taste like sunshine and darkness, ice and fire, youth and ancient secrets, on his tongue, perceptions made corporeal. His hand was flat against the wall, palm to the wood, and it flamed at his touch as if about to burst aflame. The Mother was speaking to him too, urging him on, away _**now**_.

He had no magic, he could not speak to her as Rila, Alona and the others did and he once could, but he recognised one word, drifting in and out of his mind with something like urgency. _**Jane**_.

* * *

Without a word to Frey, he rushed away, sprinting with all his strength, ignoring the cries of his name and title, the concerned questions, the people he shoved aside as he tore through the city, down the warded stairways that led to the Forest floor and into the darkness that awaited him.

It opened before him, a dark vista promising him more pain and anguish, but he barely checked his speed as he rushed headlong into it. As he went, he warded his mind, needing no magic for this trick. It had been taught to both Loki and Thor from a young age, to ward their minds against those who might attempt to break into them, magic or no.

Nonetheless, he felt the grasping tendrils of the darkness as it attempted to subdue him, his body straining as it tangibly pushed him back. He set his teeth and pushed forward, determination giving him focus through the icy pain as he was attacked over and over, only to heal again, and suffer more blows.

_You will not have her. She is mine!_

So screamed the darkest part of himself, the mad, amoral creature he had been under Thanos's thumb, who disdained the Universe but for her. Had it only been his darkness alone that fought through the barriers the Forest pushed up to halt him, he might have succumbed but for once, he was whole and free. For once, his entire being was at peace with itself, united in its' one goal. Find Jane.

He could feel the darkness burning away the façade the All-Father had covered him with to hide his true self, but this time he felt no shudder of loathing. His Jotunn skin was born of ice and rock, no darkness could hurt him now. His eyes, now a demonic red, saw clearer than his Aesir ones ever had and he could almost feel his magic surging through his veins again, but this was not the magic he had been trained to wield. It was the magic of the Jotunns, old and strong as the mountain is strong, as pervasive and unstoppable as the glacier. With his touch turned to ice, the shadows gave way before him, the darkness receded and still that tugging drew him onward.

But nowhere could he see Jane. He called her name, over and over, deaf to all but her voice, but he heard nothing in return.

A glowing form caught his eye and he turned, to discover a shapeless light floating before him. As he watched, it lowered to the ground and morphed into the shape of a she-wolf, white and larger than any wolf Loki had ever seen, her eyes glowing gold. She did not speak, but Loki understood.

_Follow me._

He followed the wolf, letting it lead him blind, shining through the darkness like a beacon. She led him down into a dell, and there he saw her, shining like a dimmed star in the night, eyes tightly shut, hair askew and body limp, her limbs thrown out where she fell, her clothes torn and bloodied. With a cry, he rushed to her side; hesitating only a moment as his Aesir self regained dominance now he was no longer being attacked, and caught her up in his arms. "Jane…" he breathed, feeling desperately for her pulse. It was there, weak, but she was alive. He buried his face in her neck, allowing himself one moment of weakness, before he raised his head, steadying himself as he was buffeted anew by more attacks, more shadows seeking to entrap them both. His Aesir self receded and his skin glowed like ice in the scant moonlight of the Forest, more sickly and grave than a comfort, in that endless darkness.

He cradled her close, her limp body in his arms, as he stood and met the patient, waiting eyes of the white wolf. She cocked her head, and he nodded.

Without another sound, they walked into the darkness.

The wolf led him unerringly to the stairways, gleaming white and clean in the moonlight, unmarred by the darkness boiling at their edge. He stepped back within the wards, and the darkness receded for good, his mind clear and his body healing once more. He could hear voices, footsteps hurrying down the stairway and wondered how long he had been in the Forest. He looked back and saw the wolf still standing there, still watching him, her head cocked, golden eyes shining.

_I thank you, she-wolf,_ he bowed his head, speaking to her through the mental connection she had used to guide him. This was no ordinary wolf. _Who are you?_

The wolf barked, and he almost thought she was smiling. _I am She. That is all I need be. _The wolf shook its ruff and bowed its' head. _You are very fortunate, Loki, son of none. But then, like calls to like, blood to blood. If you had not these advantages, you both would have been lost forever._

And with that final enigmatic remark, the wolf turned and stalked away, disappearing into the darkness with a flare of light. Loki's brow rose, even as he turned away.

_Well, it isn't every day a sentient planet manifests itself as a wolf to help you,_ he thought wryly.

He did not stop as he walked up, and into the city, ignoring the gasps and the cries as others glimpsed him and his still Jotunn self, Rila and Frey crowding him as he walked, silently, through the city.

* * *

He took her home, and only once they were safe from prying eyes did he allow the healers to come and help Jane. Rila stood by his side, her eyes wide and fearful, as they watched them uncover wound after wound, as if Jane had just come from the battlefield. In a way, perhaps she had.

But before their eyes, as the healers cleaned the blood away, her wounds healed clean away, without as much as a mark. They stared, stunned, before one of them ushered them both from the room, claiming they needed to examine her more closely.

Loki didn't understand what was taking so long. If he regained his magic, he could have done it himself, but unfortunately, it was still beyond his reach. He had to wait.

Rila was silent and patient, sitting down on a sofa in their living area, as she watched him pace. For the first time in months, he saw a glimmer of approval in her eyes.

"Stop staring, Rila," he snapped impatiently. "You're practically radiating smugness."

"Only because you have now proven, and accepted, beyond doubt that you love Jane," she replied, with a raised brow. "And she loves you too. Neither of you would have reacted as you have done if you cared less for one another."

"I know," he breathed. "Now I have another crime to atone for."

"Yes, but this one will be a lifelong sentence," Rila murmured, ignoring his swift look. "Do not deny it, Silvertongue. The Mother came to your aid tonight, we all sensed her but there was more than her power alone aiding you in the darkness."

Loki froze, as he remembered that summoning, that strangely familiar yet new tang of magic, the she-wolf's words…_Like to like, blood to blood_.

Jane's weakness, her paleness, her tiredness, and he cursed himself even as he was still frozen in shock. He was willing to gamble that there was yet more than Jane had let him see or confessed, perhaps more than she knew, even.

Just then, the door to their bedchamber opened and the Chief Healer came through, grave and quiet. She looked to Loki, and exhaled with a sigh. "Lady Jane is physically well, despite her ordeal. As for her mind, we cannot tell until she awakens but I believe she is stronger than she looks," she told him seriously.

"And?" he asked, feeling oddly terrified of her answer.

"And, she is with child, my Lord," the healer finished. "Three months by our reckoning, although with such a child, it will be difficult to predict gestation periods."

She looked as if she wished to say more, but Loki rushed past her into the bedchamber, shoving past all the other healers uncaringly. Rila smiled and calmly dismissed them all, entering the bedchamber to find Loki already there, Jane in his arms, and she took a seat beside them, stroking Jane's limp, pale little hand. It felt strong and vital in hers.

She lay between Loki's arms and legs, cushioned by his body, which had regained its' Aesir form, and Loki was gently stroking out Jane's coppery hair.

"Loki?" Rila asked, quietly.

"It was the child," he breathed, half in awe, half in shock. "The child, _**our**_ child, saved her. It was their magic that protected her body; it was our child that summoned me. How can this be possible?"

Rila shrugged. "The child is born of three worlds. When they are born, they will possess the blood of Jotunheim and Earth, and the soul of Alfheim, thanks to the power of the Mother," she replied softly. "Any such child is bound to be astounding, but they are also born of you and Jane. Your power flows through them, and Jane's own strength of spirit and power is within them too."

"She is mortal," Loki murmured, but Rila shook her head.

"You know as well as I that Jane is special. Thanos has singled her out for a reason, and you know what that is," she argued with a pointed look at him. "She broke you free; she took you from him when nothing else could. But what is more, she possesses power, even if she knows it not. She feels the presence of the Mother, senses her as if she had been born here, but it is more than that. Anyone else, any Elf or Aesir or Jotunn who dared to venture out into the darkness has never survived it, and yet here she lies, alive and unhurt."

"But what of her mind?" he asked, quietly. Rila had no sure answer for him.

"I do not think that your child would have survived if Jane did not," she replied, releasing her friend's hand. "There were stories of Elves breeding with humans before the Ice Wars. I never credited them before now, but…perhaps something of the blood of Alfheim flows within these veins…"

Rila smiled at him, more warmly than she had done in months, and left them after exhorting a promise from Loki to send word when Jane awoke. He lay there with Jane in his arms, pondering Rila's words long into the sleepless night.

* * *

Jane did not stir until the dawn of the second day since Loki found her, and she groaned, as Loki stroked her hair soothingly.

"Why do I feel like I'm been hit by a bus?" she asked, huskily, her voice tight and cracked with dehydration.

"That would not be an inaccurate description of your ordeal, my love," he replied, chuckling. Her eyes opened and she frowned, until she realised she was lying back against him, a very warm, very hard pillow of leather and woven fabric. His hands felt nice against her scalp.

"You bloody idiot! How long have you been lying there?" she demanded, weakly.

"Two days," he explained. "I waited for you to come home and when you did not, I grew worried and searched for you. It was only when I was summoned that I was able to find you, with a little help from the Mother."

"What do you mean, summoned?" she asked, still frowning, doing absolutely nothing to escape from his hold. She was too weak to do much more than nestle deeper into his arms.

"Why don't you tell me what happened, and I'll explain more in a moment," he offered, and she frowned again but was still unable to turn and give him her best glare as much as she wanted to.

"I don't know. I was just so mad at you, and hurt and furious, that I guess I just kept walking without really knowing where I was going, you know?" she mumbled, flopping back against him with a defeated sigh. She shuddered, and he held her tighter supportively. "And by the time I realised, it was too late and I was lost. I know what you mean now by the darkness and not going into the Forest at night."

"What happened?" he prompted her gently, pressing a kiss to her temple. She shivered and he clasped her to him harder. "You are safe now, Jane. I will let nothing harm you again."

"That's not your choice to make, Loki," she replied softly, unable to see his frown, her voice strong and quiet. "It is mine. You're going to need to accept that if this is going to work between us."

"Jane, you must believe me when I say I did not do it out of boredom or because I wished to be rid of you. I pushed you away because I loved you, but I see my error now. I had loved you as an inferior, since realising the strength of my feelings, instead of my equal. I sought to keep you safe because I feared I would lose you, and I still do…" he trailed off, and she could feel him shuddering now. Blindly, she reached up and stroked his arm, offering comfort without thought. Gradually the shivering stopped, and they lay in quiet, contemplative silence. "Even if my love is able to fight off the darkness and win," he muttered sometime later, and she snorted.

"Yeah, some victory. My entire body feels like rubber that's gone ten rounds with, I don't know, your brother!" she sniped grumpily. He chuckled, and she hit his arm weakly. "Quit laughing!"

"You are surely the most incredible, unlikely, unearthly creature I have ever met," he retorted, before he sobered and asked her again, "What happened to you, Jane?"

"I heard a voice, in my head. It was saying awful things, terrible things, and I couldn't move, I couldn't run or do anything. It trapped me and I couldn't do anything," she shuddered again, as his arms tightened around her. "All I could see was darkness and it invaded my head, tried to destroy me from the inside out. I fought it as best I could…then nothing. I wake up here, feeling like a train wreck."

"You faced the darkness and survived, Jane. You faced _**your**_ inner darkness and won, Jane," he replied, as Jane fought to twist around and face him. His arms tightened around her waist, helping her, until she wriggled to face him. He was pale and unkempt, his hair messy and ruffled, his clothes rumpled. His eyes widened when they met hers, and he gasped. "I see it left its mark, however."

"What?" Jane blurted, alarmed. Wordlessly, Loki left her to fetch a mirror from her dressing chamber, returning and holding it up so she could see herself in the reflective surface. She gasped when she saw her eyes; where they both used to be a shade of brown, now one was a deep, midnight blue so dark it was almost black, while the other had darkened to a shade of amber so iridescent, it reminded her of a cat's eye. She blinked and blinked again, but the colour remained. "What happened to me?" she asked, tiredly.

"The darkness always leaves its mark on us, even when we are victorious against it," Loki explained beside her.

"Yeah, where's yours?" she asked mulishly. Loki's eyes darkened, just before they turned to demonic red, and he smirked wryly.

"Hidden, but still there," he replied sardonically, as she gasped. His eyes faded back to that beautiful green she had known before, and she felt awful.

"Loki, I'm sorry, I didn't think," she looked down, feeling so tired and ashamed of herself, and not a little bit irritated that she felt like that considering the stunts he'd pulled in the past few weeks.

"No, it is I who beg forgiveness, Jane," he interrupted her softly, tilting her head up to his. "Know this, Jane Foster, and know I say this not because I should, but because I _**wish**_ to; I love you, with all that this broken, darkened, bloodied heart and soul have to give."

"I love you too," Jane replied, meeting and holding his gaze firmly. "I didn't have the courage to even realise it before, let alone accept it and voice it. But I do now, and I love you, Loki Odinson."

Loki pressed his lips to hers, and she clasped her arms around his neck, before frowning mid-kiss and pulling back much to Loki's exasperation. "Hold on, you never did explain what you meant by a summoning. What summoned you?" she asked, feeling oddly breathless. One of the hands on her chin gently caressed down her neck, between the rounds of her breasts, and down until it splayed over her abdomen.

"At first, I could not understand it," he murmured, looking down at her stomach with such a boyish grin, her heart soared. "The summons was imbued with power that held tinges of my own and yet was not mine. Your body was hurt but it healed from within-"

"Loki, just tell me," Jane snapped, now glaring at him full force, her heart pounding in fear and anticipation.

"Jane, you're with child," he told her, giving in and telling her straight. Her eyes widened and she almost slumped back if it wasn't for Loki catching her. He laid her down tenderly, stroking her face while frowning worriedly. "Jane? Say something."

"B-but how? We're two different species, how the hell-?" she spluttered, staring at him wildly.

"Clearly not different enough. I do not know, Jane, there are stories of crossbreeding many centuries ago, but not recently. It's going to be alright, Jane. I won't let anything happen to you," he told her in an attempt to be soothing. She glared at him.

"Don't do that right now, Loki. I'm battling an urge to hit you very, _**very**_ hard right now," she muttered darkly, and he moved back slightly, hands held up in mock-surrender. She laid a hand on her stomach, watching her fingers as they splayed out across the red, slightly transparent silk of her nightgown. Her mind raced, her heart pounded but only one thought really lingered. She was pregnant.

She was pregnant with Loki's baby, a son or a daughter who saved her life and helped Loki find her. She wasn't sure if she should be scared or elated about that fact, but a kind of bittersweet love bloomed inside her as she stroked her stomach. _**Her**_ baby, their baby. Hers and Loki's.

They were definitely insane.

She realised she was smiling and her eyes were fogging with tears, as Loki watched her closely as if she were a bomb about to explode. She reached for him, and he tensed, and then relaxed as she dragged him to her for a kiss, his hands grasping her waist and hauling her against him.

* * *

A few weeks later, Jane was finally allowed out of bed. Her legs were weak but as long as she didn't push it too far, she was ok. Loki had glared at her fiercely when she confessed to the dizzy spells, cold flushes and fainting fits, then proceeded to never let her out of his sight. She wasn't complaining too much, just enough so he never took her for granted.

Except for today. She hadn't seen Loki since breakfast, and he'd told her he had a surprise for her, and not to worry. So she'd been stuck in her bed with only Rila for occasional company when she had time, since Kaila was busy with her studies and Baelen was training. She hadn't seen Alona since the Summer Solstice.

By the time sunset came, she'd decided. She hated surprises.

She was sitting and glaring at the opposite wall, when Loki swaggered into their bedchamber, looking entirely too pleased with himself. She crossed her arms and shot him a look, which he just chuckled at.

"Oh don't go giving me that look," she muttered. "The puppy dog eyes don't work on me."

"Puppy dog?" Loki grimaced. "You're calling the God of Mischief a 'puppy dog'?"

"Yep," Jane grinned, before Loki snagged her cloak from its peg and then plucked her from the bed, making her yelp and clutch at his shoulders for balance. "Hey, warning next time!"

"Next time, do not compare me to an infant dog," he retorted, making her roll her eyes. She mulishly draped her cloak around her, clasping it at the neck, as Loki strode for the door. "Come, I have a surprise for you and we haven't much time."

Loki pointedly ignored all of Jane's leading questions and prodding, as he carried her through the house and out onto the veranda. He turned away from the city and into the trees, stepping from one branch to another with ease, and Jane noticed a winding flight of steps leading up and into the canopy that she was sure hadn't been there before. She frowned, about to ask a question, when Loki shot her a look and she shut up.

As they climbed, the leaves rustled and rippled around them, like a great fluttering curtain of dark green and silver. Jane's hand grazed the tree trunk, and she smiled when she felt a familiar surge of warmth against her hand, a comforting feeling now, compared to her unease when she first arrived.

Since her little adventure, she'd slowly got used to the new eyes she'd acquired from her tussle with the Forest. They still freaked her out a little, but Loki didn't seem to care beyond his initial surprise. She supposed if they were the only price she had to pay in order to have survived, she guessed her eyes weren't that big a deal. It wasn't like she'd been struck blind.

At last, they emerged from the rippling, living curtain and Jane gasped in shock and delight. Before her was a long, flat platform, edged in with a railing for safety, but with a clear unimpeded view of the sky above. The sun was just setting in a riotous blur of scarlets, oranges and yellows, as Jane gasped in delight again, and above her….

She could see the stars.

In the middle of the platform, was a long, wide bench with a curved back, piled high with silken blankets, furs and cushions, and it was there that Loki set her down, making sure she was comfortable and warm. The breeze was balmy and light, as she smiled and lay back, beckoning him to join her.

He lay down with her, reclining as languidly as a lazy cat, smirking with the same self-satisfaction she'd glimpsed when he entered their bedchamber, as she smiled. "I knew you missed the stars," he remarked, and she shook her head, laughing.

"How did you manage all this? Don't tell me you're secretly a master carpenter?" she asked, her eyes wide with mock-awe. Loki glared at her, and she giggled.

"While I have no doubt I would master such an art," he sniffed haughtily, making her laugh again and roll her eyes. "I did not do this by hand."

"But your magic is still…bound, isn't it?" she asked quietly, her mirth disappearing as she regarded him cautiously. He nodded shortly, the subject still a sore one with him.

"I have not regained my magic. No, I simply asked for a little help from an old friend," he replied mysteriously, and she frowned, ignoring the way her heart pounded as he leaned over her intently. Her hand gripped the side of the bench, and with a surge of warmth, she figured it out.

"You asked the Mother," she murmured and he nodded.

"The Elves do not build as mortals do. They ask, and the Mother provides. I merely did the same for my lady," he explained with a shrug.

"It's beautiful, thank you," Jane smiled happily, reaching up to kiss him lightly. She patted the wood beside her hip and stroked it. "And thank you, sentient lady planet."

The pulse against her hand felt distinctly like a 'you're welcome', as Loki chuckled and rolled his eyes. "'Sentient lady planet? Really, Jane?"

"Yep, really. She doesn't mind," she shrugged teasingly. She rolled onto her back, looking up at the stars as they twinkled and glinted like gems in a giant silk tapestry, smiling as she studied the new constellations. "You're going to have to teach me all the new constellations."

"Well, I know of at least one area you'd be interested in," Loki replied, pointing up at a patch of sky, over to the west. "Go straight ahead, for about 800,000 of your light-years, and you would find your home solar system."

Jane smiled softly. "I do miss it sometimes, but," she trailed off and rolled back onto her side and faced Loki, who suddenly looked pensive and uncertain. She didn't like seeing him like that. "I have never regretted leaving it with you. Never."

"I'm glad," Loki smiled, looking so boyish and young, it pierced her heart. She reached up and kissed him, hard, and he moaned against her mouth. "Jane," he murmured warningly, pulling back as far as her grip would let him. "You torture me, woman. You are still too weak. You must rest."

"Look I am resting! See, I'm lying down and everything," she pointed out. "It's been far too long, Loki. Please."

"Who am I to resist you, my Jane?" he growled with a sudden dark smirk, and she grinned back, her eyes flashing in the fading light.

"A bona fide idiot," she quipped, laughing as he pounced and captured her lips, smothering her laughter, which turned to moans as his hands crept inside her cloak, moving aside clothing and caressing all the skin he could reach. She hadn't regained her full strength, but she loved all of him she could reach, her mouth, lips, tongue and hands returning every caress and tender slide of his with her own, as they made love under the stars.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	9. Forgiveness

Veritas

Warnings: None.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'Science and Magic' from 'Thor', 'Harry in Winter' from 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' and 'Celtic Carol' by 'Lindsey Stirling'.

_**A/N: **So in honour of Tom's performance at Comic Con, and our OTP finally meeting and getting the chance to shine *Jane, you go my girl!*, have a double update on me!_

* * *

_'Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable.'_

_- Bruce Lee_

* * *

The next few months passed almost peacefully for Jane. Her relationship with Loki, while different from before, slowly healed until their mutual trust returned. If he awoke from nightmares, Thanos-induced or not, he no longer pushed her away. Jane didn't ask what they were about; she didn't need to know that since it was obvious from the state Loki woke up in, she just held him close until he could sleep again.

Her body continued to heal from her encounter with the darkness of Alfheim. She was no longer confined to her bed, or even to the house, but she did still feel excessively tired and had to stop to rest. Or that might have been the human/Jotunn hybrid in her womb.

The pregnancy was difficult, and they had no real idea what to expect, from gestation periods to trimesters or even when Jane would give birth. She was stilled racked sometimes by shivers, as if being slowly frozen from the inside out, but at least the dizziness, fainting and morning sickness were easily controlled by the Elven Healers' impressive potions. She just wished they could help with the cold, not even so much for her but for Loki. Every time she lay in bed, shivering against him, huddled in layer upon layer of blanket and cloak, he looked like he hated himself for what the Jotunn side of their baby was doing to her. He didn't even blame their baby, just himself.

He wanted to contact Frigg, but when they asked Frey if it was possible, unofficially of course, he'd told them that the Bifrost was sealed and no longer opening to any of the Nine Realms. The Realm Eternal was in a state of unofficial civil war, with more calls for the All-Father to abdicate permanently and allow Thor to take the throne, and while Thor did not side with the rebels, he no longer blindly followed his father's edicts. It was only a matter of time.

Essentially, they were on their own, just as the All-Father decreed. Loki grimaced at the news when Frey told them, and his fist clenched white. Jane knew he was smarting over the loss of his magic, unable to help her through the difficult period.

* * *

At last, Jane remembered the Apple and guiltily retrieved it from her winter cloak. It was growing cold in Alfheim, and soon the leaves would fall from the trees and the days would darken. The sun was high and cold in the clear, wide sky, as she stepped up on their observation platform and found him there; some three days after Frey had told them the Bifrost was shut.

Loki was sat on their bench, staring up at the sky, frowning darkly. Sighing, realising he was in one of his moods again, Jane stepped onto the platform, the wood creaking softly under her weight, alerting him to her presence. He turned his head but did not speak.

"Hey," she murmured. "You ok?"

"I am perfectly healthy, Jane-?" he frowned, as she slapped him softly on the arm.

"That wasn't what I meant, and you know it," she admonished him gently, stepping around the edge of the bench to sit beside him. With a sigh, he draped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him, one hand on the gently swelling curve of her stomach.

"You do look beautiful in that cloak," he murmured against her hair, tied up in an Elven braid and then drawn into a bun against the nape of her neck. "My mother did her work well."

Loki had been calling Frigg 'mother' from some time now, but it always filled Jane with hope when he did. He sometimes even called Thor 'brother' now; she wished he could be there to hear it. Or maybe it was only distance that allowed Loki to see them once more in those lights, perhaps if he returned to Asgard, the pain would return and he would retreat from them once more.

"What is it, Loki?" she pushed gently. It was the only way to get something out of him, to push past his distractions and barriers to get to the truth of what was bothering him. He sighed and chuckled ruefully, holding her close. She leaned her head against his heartbeat and stroked his chest through his tunic.

"I am…annoyed that my magic still eludes me. Sometimes I almost believe it is still there and I reach for it, but then it is gone," he confessed stiltedly. "I feel…powerless without it, unable to help you, unable to do anything if something should go wrong…"

"Sshh," she soothed him. "Nothing is going to go wrong, Loki. The Alfheim healers aren't exactly amateurs, and I'm ok. A little cold now and again, but there's nothing that can be done about that-"

"_**I **_could, if I was not as powerless as a damned mortal," he spat, unthinkingly, and Jane glared at him pointedly. He sighed and apologised immediately, frustration and something akin to fear in his eyes. She knew he still wasn't sleeping well, and sometimes she feared she saw a glaze of that eerie, alien blue over his eyes before she snapped him back out of it.

"You're not powerless," was all she said, taking her place on his chest again. She also knew what was bothering him, as much as he tried to hide it. "You are not your father, Loki, either of them. This child will be loved and cherished, not abandoned or manipulated."

"Such faith you have in me," he breathed, as he stroked her hair and they fell into contented silence. "This puts a dint into our travelling plans, however, once I do regain my power."

Jane shrugged. "Then we'll wait until the kids are grown," she replied. Taking a deep breath, she raised herself up and felt in her cloak for the secret pocket Frigg had hidden the Apple away in. "I have something I need to show you. I probably should have done it a long time ago…"

She fished the Apple and the letter from the depths of her cloak. Loki's breath was a tight inhale, as he eyed her with shock and hurt. "Jane…"

"Would it help? If I ate the Apple, and became well…not exactly immortal but a lot less human, would it help the baby?" she asked, handing him the letter. He read it quickly, and his eyes darkened, as he stood abruptly and faced the sun, his back to her.

"No, it would not," he eventually replied. "The Apple simply increases your longevity; it does not give you the power and strength of an Aesir. For all intents and purposes, you would remain mortal in all but your aging cycle. The transition might even harm the child. Why did you hide this from me?"

His voice, low, dark and hoarse alerted her to the danger, and she stood as quickly as she could with her stomach, and tilted her jaw defiantly. "Because I wasn't ready. _**We **_weren't ready," she replied, as he spun to face her. "It wasn't so much because I didn't love you enough, because I do, but when I first found it, I hadn't faced that fact yet and we…" she trailed off as his shoulders slumped. "I thought you might get tired of me," she admitted quietly. Loki tensed again, and before she could blink, he strode away from the railing and then she was in his arms, the life kissed out of her by bruising passion and a desperate, heated grip. His tongue ruthlessly claimed hers and his low moan against her made her shiver.

"Jane," he breathed, once they stopped for breath. "Now listen to me carefully, you know how I hate repeating myself. You are never to let such a damned foolish thought form in your mind, ever again. I, tire of you? How could I when you have bewitched me body and soul? How could I tire of you when you are the only creature in the Universe so wholly _**mine**_?"

There it was again, that veneer of darkness in his eyes, and her heart pounded. She smiled, a dark grin of her own, and gripped his face tightly. "And you are mine," she retorted, low and husky, her own eyes flashing with darkness. "Never forget it."

"Never," he vowed, desire burning through his body like fire, as he returned to her kiss with a shudder of pure heat.

* * *

A week later, they were dining with Frey when he confided he'd had news of Asgard. They both sat up and listened, as the elder Aesir swirled his wine.

"The Bifrost has reopened," Frey explained. "The All-Father has abdicated the throne and Thor is to assume the throne tomorrow. I have received a message from the Queen that you are both to attend the ceremony."

Jane, in their nearly seven months on Alfheim, had quickly garnered the impression that Frey didn't much approve of Thor. The looks in his eyes, half mocking, half concerned, made her think that Frey might have been one of the few in the Nine Realms who welcomed Thor's banishment and Loki's ascension with relief.

"He'll be a good King. He's changed a lot," she felt the need to speak up for him, as Frey just sent her a disbelieving look, and Loki remained silent beside her.

He was quiet and brooding the whole evening, and didn't say a word to Jane when they went to sleep. They didn't go to Asgard for the coronation, and Loki disappeared at midday.

* * *

There was a feast to mark the coronation, but all in all, the Elves barely blinked at the succession. It barely affected them, Frey was their ruler for better or for worse, and they just got on with it. It both fascinated and confused Jane that the Elves could be so passive.

Talking with Rila and Kaila about it, however, revealed that their passivity was no longer the majority opinion. "We should be taking more interest in the world outside ours," the younger Elf confided in her quietly, away from Rila's hearing. "If only we could do something about it."

Rila was more cautious. "Frey has ruled long here," she said when Jane asked. "He has done well, but even one such as him must falter eventually. And what then?"

Jane didn't have the answer to any of their questions, as she walked through the city in search of Loki. She was worried for him.

* * *

Finally she found him, in a section she had never been to before, a wide, long platform of moss and wood that stretched further than Jane could see. She blinked at the sight before her eyes, of horses grazing in the moss, eating the lichen attached to the tree trunks, and the dangling leaves that hid the sun. They were all either bay or white, shining in the dim light, and Loki stood beside the fence of the enclosure, gently stroking the ears of one, clearly an older specimen, who was whickering and softly nuzzling the trickster's ear.

"Loki!" she called his name softly, not wishing to startle him or the beautiful animal with him, as she stepped up to the fence. "I didn't realise they had horses here. How do they live, up here in the trees?"

"They survive off the lichens, leaves and mosses they find," he explained quietly. "Frey brought the first ones, when the All-Father set him to rule here. Descendants of the mighty Sleipnir and Svaðilfari, like this one here. My old friend," he patted the great grey's head affectionately. "Aesir horses are more intelligent than their descendants on Earth. He certainly taught me to ride, didn't you?" he murmured, turning away from Jane to the horse, which snorted and butted him on the head, before extending his nose to Jane. Cautiously, she reached out a hand, and gasped as a voice, kind but proud, fell into her mind.

_My friend is modest. But I did get him off quite a few times._

"_I'm sure you did," _Jane laughed, and the horse whinnied, softly snorting against her hand before he reared and galloped away. "I like him."

"He likes you," Loki replied. "When you are delivered, I shall endeavour to teach you how to ride," he continued, "If you wish. I had thought you might enjoy learning some archery and combat techniques?"

Jane thought, then nodded. "That might be a good idea," she mused. "Help to get the baby weight off at any rate. "Will the Elves allow it? I mean, they don't let women train in combat-?"

"You are not an Elf," Loki cut her off sharply. "And we do as we wish, do we not, Jane?"

"Loki, what is really wrong?" Jane asked, after a moment. "This is about Thor, isn't it?"

Loki sighed, turning his back to the herd and sitting down in the soft moss. Awkwardly Jane moved to sit beside him, Loki helping her after a moment, and they sat in silence for a few moments.

Finally Loki spoke, quiet and pained. "I knew that Thor would assume the throne, knew that I never had any chance of doing so myself, not after Jotunheim and Earth, and then to be summoned like a dog…"

"It still hurts," Jane finished for him. "No one says you have to be all happy and praising Thor's name, God knows he'll have enough of that. But this isn't Thor's fault, or Frigg's, not really. You have to let it go."

"I know," Loki sighed, leaning his head back against the fence. Jane huddled into him, and he held her tightly, burying his face in her hair. Her words rang true, he did have to let this bitterness and hate go. Thor, in the end, was not to blame, not for something he could no more control than Loki could decide his birth. His brother was not to blame, his mother was not to blame, even the All-Father carried only a tithe of the blame.

Loki was who he was, and he decided that, he realised that now. The Aesir might have drummed the word 'monster' into his head when they spoke of the Jotunn but it was Loki who chose to believe that, and so unknowingly emulate that when he discovered his true origins. Laufey had been a monster, but had the rest of Jotunheim deserved his harsh judgement? All because he wished to destroy the last trace of all that Asgard deemed monstrous, in both the Universe and himself. But he was not a monster, not anymore.

He was himself, whole and freer than he had ever been in his life, free to decide now for himself what his path would be. Jotunheim had, no doubt, moved on without him. Let it be so, he had no desire for the throne of Jotunheim, nor even for a throne…he had nothing left to prove, except to himself.

Not even to Jane, he mused. Jane knew him, better than anyone ever had, or bothered to find out. It was time to stop judging himself by anyone's standards, not by Thor's, by the All-Father's, by the Aesir, the Jotunn or Thanos. He had been blind before, but now he saw clearly. He took a deep breath, and when he exhaled, he breathed out all the hatred, bitterness and pain he had carried within himself for longer than even he realised. He forgave them all, Thor, Frigg, Sif, Hogun, Fandral, Volstagg, and countless others throughout millennia that had belittled, despised or insulted him, or patronised and reviled him. He even forgave the All-Father, although he would never forget.

He might never say it, never show it outwardly, but in his core, he forgave them all.

His heart swelled with gratitude towards the slender, elfin creatures in his arms, and love so all-consuming, he knew he would gladly die for her and the child she carried. Their child.

All his life, he had been a selfish creature, unable to look beyond his own mind and body. He had been taught that a ruler was always right in their course, as the All-Father had done, but he realised now it had only been to safeguard the Universe as Odin saw and believed it should be. He had been Order personified, and Loki had tried to emulate that by only seeing the Universe as _**he **_ believed it should be. When he discovered his birth, he sought to expunge the part of him that he felt made him unworthy because that was what the All-Father had taught him to believe. Only his will mattered, nothing else…

But now, after darkness, pain and anguish, after betrayals and battles and grief, he had found himself after all. Let the Universe do as it would, he no longer had any wish to rule it. He would only observe and guide, not rule. Not all things should be ruled.

She had taught him that, with her defiance and her strength, her courage and her intelligence, and the child she carried, with the will to deflect the darkness of an entire planet and its people. They had taught him that, and he was no longer so selfish, as he realised one final, exquisitely painful truth.

He would do anything for them.

And with that final piece of self-knowledge, that final release of all he had falsely believed of himself, he felt the first tingle of magic returning to his veins, the spell Odin had cast to strip him of his innate power broken by the force of his love, acceptance and self-knowledge. Perhaps, not as the All-Father had intended, but then magic was unpredictable when left to do its own work. It was no one's servant but its' own, in the end, and now neither was Loki.

At last, he was free.

He could feel Jane shivering, as his power returned in a flood of heat and pain, but he bore it without reacting, his soul and his magic reconnecting and twining as one, until the final piece of him slotted back into place. He placed a hand on her stomach, where he knew the cold that was afflicting her was centred, and sent a warming spell through her body, cocooning his child in a bubble of cool ice, the better to help it develop in a more natural environment, and Jane's eyes were as wide as the sky above the canopy, as she gasped. "Loki!"

And then there came a surge of power against his hand, along with a tangible _thump_ against his palm, as both their gazes were diverted downwards. Tears in his eyes, he smiled as Jane pressed his hand against her stomach with one of her own, the better to feel their baby…their _**daughter**_ kick as she felt the presence of her parents.

* * *

The winter came, cold and crisp, and still Jane carried their baby. It had been nine months since her conception, but the child showed no signs of being born.

It was the Winter Solstice, and they stood out in the square, to watch the sun rise after the longest night and the shortest day on Alfheim, Jane wrapped tightly in her winter cloak, the gown of white and blue rippling slightly through the gap, as she looked up at the sky, with a smile, despite the pain she felt in her back and legs.

Now Loki had regained his magic, the pregnancy was far easier to regulate and Jane's health improved. She grew strong and lively, under the influence of Loki's magic, and if he hadn't ensured that she had work to do, she might have gone insane.

Rila and Alona had agreed to teach her more about the telepathic connection they shared, and it seemed Jane did also, with the Mother. It was lengthy, mentally taxing work, but Jane felt a thrill deep in her bones just as she did when puzzling over a particularly irksome equation.

She never told anyone, not even Loki, but she could feel the Mother in her mind more with every passing day, every passing second, and she felt comforted by her presence. She sensed even if she left Alfheim now, and never returned, she would always carry a sense of that connection in her mind forever.

* * *

Around them, the Elves sang and the musicians among them played lively, jaunty tunes that reminded her of Christmas back on Earth. She still thought about Erik, Darcy and all her friends back on Earth, but they no longer saddened her. She was merely curious.

They had received no word from Asgard, no visits. She had worried Loki might feel saddened by that, but he had made it clear he no longer felt any insult from his family. He concentrated only on them, Jane and their daughter.

She was very ready for her to be born. She was impatient to meet her daughter, for real, in the flesh, but as Loki said, these things took time and she must be patient. At least until she threw a pillow at him, and rejoiced when she hit her target.

Their relationship had only strengthened when Loki regained his magic. Now he possessed it, he could block Thanos, and their nights were instead spent sleeping peacefully, or not as the case often proved…

The thought was almost enough to make Jane blush.

She would never forget the day he asked her to cut his hair, a task she was hesitant over attempting, but his implicit trust and the symbolism behind the act gave her confidence. As his hair fell away, cut so it just brushed the nape of his neck, she glimpsed the austere planes of his face soften slightly, never losing their dangerous edge but no longer looking like he was chiselled with razor blades. He no longer slicked it back, and it fell around his face softly, making him look like a fallen angel to Jane. She loved burying her hands in it, soft and silky as a raven's wing, so dark it was almost tinged blue in some light.

He had altered his appearance slightly, but only just, so she had to look hard to see the pinpoint of ruby red in his eyes, in his pupil, and the tinge of blue that clung to his skin. His arms he had allowed to show the markings he had been born with, and his back, intertwining with the scars of his torture by Thanos and his past battles like some kind of obscene mosaic. She loved it, she loved all of him as she'd never felt before, deeper and more profound, and more frightening, than any she had ever experienced in her life. Gone were her insecurities and her fears; she was secure in his love and his need for her, just as he was secure in her love and need of him.

Some people might think that such a level of co-dependency was unhealthy, but it was what it was, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

She smiled and sighed happily, as Loki's arms tightened around her waist, over her ballooning stomach, and her daughter kicked against her inner walls. She caught Rila's eye and her smile grew.

The Elf was pregnant too, but Elven pregnancies lasted for a year. She didn't envy her that.

The Elf's steady friendship and warm teaching had been a balm to Jane when she and Loki had been estranged, Kaila like an exuberant kid sister despite her greater age than Jane. She rarely saw Baelen, Rila's mate, but he was warm and polite whenever they met. He had agreed to teach her how to shoot and to fight, the rudiments at least, when she had recovered from giving birth.

With Loki's magic, she doubted it would take long, even if he couldn't heal her outright. Then there were the Elven Healers, who were first-rate. Despite the fact she was carrying an unknown hybrid that could have killed her without magical help, she felt no fear at all.

_No, just very ready for this little one to come out,_ she thought to herself, stroking her stomach.

_All in good time…_Loki's thoughts drifted into her mind, and she frowned at him in her head.

_Do you remember what happened the last time you said that? Don't tempt me to repeat it! _She thought back, and he chuckled. A feeling that had it been sound, Jane suspected would have been a giggle, washed over them from their daughter and she laughed, Loki along with her.

_Yes, little girl. I am very ready to meet you…_

* * *

_To be continued..._


	10. The Calm Before The Storm

Veritas

Warnings: Some suggestive themes. Mild violence, some graphic description of childbirth.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter playlist: 'Bella Reborn' from 'Breaking Dawn Part I' and 'Gwen and Arthur' from 'Merlin: Series 2'.

* * *

_'The dark is generous, and it is patient, and it always wins - but in the heart of its strength lies weakness: one lone candle is enough to hold it back._

_Love is more than a candle. Love can ignite the stars.'_

_- Star Wars: the Revenge of the Sith novelisation_

* * *

The night was peaceful and still, almost everyone in the city in the trees asleep. For the first time in months, Loki slept undisturbed and free of nightmares, Jane clasped close in his arms.

It had been nearly a month since the Winter Solstice, the turn of the season. Soon the snows and frosts on the Forest floor would thaw, nourishing the roots of the trees where the Elves made their home and the sun would sit high in the sky, as the trees regained their leaves and the first blossoms appeared.

Loki was beginning to worry about Jane. It had been ten months, and although he knew nothing about Jotunn pregnancies, he knew human females gave birth at the ninth month, usually. The child was very well-developed, and he was pondering convincing Jane to induce labour and give birth soon.

He'd wished he could speak to Frigg, but there was still no news from Asgard beyond that Thor was ruling well and the All-Father had gracefully withdrawn from public life with his Queen. They were on their own.

A sudden cry woke Loki from his sleep, and he opened his eyes to see Jane, sat bolt upright, sweating and trembling, one hand over her swollen abdomen. Her eyes, wide with pain and shock, met his, the midnight blue flashing in the moonlight. He froze when he felt the cold touch of moisture next to his leg. "The baby," Jane gasped. "I think she's coming."

Loki moved fast after that, removing the wet bedclothes and ensuring Jane was as comfortable as she could be, under the circumstances. He roused Rila, Frey and a midwife named Nirie, and returned to the house with them quickly, Jane's shouts of pain echoing through the rooms. He blanched and rushed upstairs, to her side, Rila and Nirie not far behind.

"I'm here, love," he breathed, taking hold of her hand and sitting by her head. Rila smiled warmly, Jane managed a weak one back before the next contraction hit her, while Nirie immediately went to Jane and lifted the soiled skirts of her nightdress. Jane gritted her teeth against a scream as the contraction rippled through her, each one gradually more painful than the last.

"Why is it hurting her so much?" Loki asked. "Human births aren't usually this fast."

It had only been ten minutes, but the contractions were barely minutes apart. "I cannot tell, my Lord," Nirie shrugged. "It might be the hybrid causing the birth to progress faster."

Frey beckoned to Loki from the doorway, studiously avoiding looking at Jane. "We should leave the ladies to it," he called, but Loki bent such a murderous, heated glare at him, that he paled and stepped back.

"I will not leave the mother of my child alone in such pain," he replied testily, as Jane gripped his hand almost to breaking point. Gods, but she was strong when she was in pain.

Frey retreated alone after that, and the hours drew on as Jane laboured, sweating and pale, her voice growing hoarse as she was no longer able to hold in the screams, Rila tenderly wiping away the sweat with a wet cloth while Nirie tried her best to alleviate the pain and coach Jane through breathing exercises. Loki was twice threatened with castration by a very blunt object if he ever put her in this state again.

Finally, as the dawn came and the sun rose to greet the new day, Nirie smiled and nodded to Jane. "You can start pushing, my Lady."

Jane slumped back against Loki, exhausted. "I can't," she whispered faintly.

"You can, my love," Loki stroked her damp hair tenderly. "You have more strength in you than any creature in the Nine Realms. More than enough to bring our daughter into the Universe. You can do this."

"When you…" she gasped, as she gritted her teeth and kept talking determinedly. "When you came through that portal on Earth, did you ever….imagine…this!?"

"Never in my wildest dreams did I believe that I would ever be given such a gift as you," Loki replied, as she forced in a breath, groaning. "You fought me and you defied me, and dragged me back from the abyss. And now you're giving me the greatest gift anyone could ever give. A new life."

It seemed the sound of Loki's voice gave Jane new heart, and she found the strength to push, bearing down with all her might. The pressure building up in her lower abdomen grew with every push, and she cried out in agony and frustration. Her knuckles were white where they gripped Loki's hand so tightly.

Pain wracked her in hot waves, coming ever closely together until they blurred into one long, rippling tidal wave of pain. With Loki, Rila and Nirie's encouragement, she bore down again, crying out as she felt a tearing sensation between her legs, and then sweet, blessed relief as the pressure was abruptly gone, and all she could feel was slick wetness between her legs. An angry cry pierced the air, bringing tears to Jane's eyes, her hands blindly reaching out for their newborn daughter. "Let me see her," she pleaded.

"Wait just a moment, love," Loki's voice came from somewhere near her ear, but she didn't have the energy to look for him. "Both of you need to clean up."

Jane registered the wave of magic only dimly, as the mess of blood and sweat on the bed disappeared, her nightdress replaced and her body repaired by Nirie's magic. Her body still ached, but she recognised Loki's magic easing it for her, as she impatiently waited for Rila to hand her their daughter.

"A daughter," Rila smiled warmly. "Exactly as you predicted."

"Of course she is," Loki muttered haughtily, but Jane could hear the pride in his tone. She felt his weight leave her side, then return, a small bundle wrapped in blue blankets in his arms. He leant down, and smiled as tiny, elfin features met her eyes. "Our daughter, Jane."

She smiled, freely crying now. "Hi," she whispered, as one hand reached out to her, so small and fragile. She let her grasp her fingers, and gasped as she saw her eyes. "Loki?"

"A side-effect of your encounter with the darkness, my love," he murmured. Their little girl's eyes were the same dark, midnight blue as Jane's single eye. "She protected your body from it from the womb. If this is the only effect of that, I am happy for it."

"So am I," Jane whispered. "Hi, there baby girl. You saved my life."

Their daughter cried, and Rila softly spoke from the side. "She is hungry. You must feed her, Jane."

Carefully, Jane pulled down her nightdress and placed their daughter near her breast, the newborn's mouth blindly searching before she latched on and began to suckle. New tears came to Jane's eyes as she looked up at Loki, lost in his eyes, as bright and joyful as her own. All their fears, all their worries, disappeared into naught, as Rila and Nirie left them alone to inform Frey.

As their daughter fed contentedly at her breast, Jane inspected her closely. She was perfectly formed and lovely, her skin tinged a beautiful, light shade of blue, mixing effortlessly into the marble skin that came from Jane. She had a shock of black hair atop her head, falling in untamed curls to her tiny ears.

"She's beautiful," Jane breathed with a smile. "She's going to be a heartbreaker when she grows up."

"Not if I break whoever dares touch her first," Loki growled, only half-joking, as Jane sent him a narrow glare. "You were so strong, I am so proud of you, my love."

"Hey, we did this together," she corrected him softly, tilting her head up invitingly. Loki leant down and kissed her heatedly, relief and passion blending into one burst of sensation and emotion, until they were disturbed by a faint burp and an indignant cry. They parted and looked down, to see their daughter gazing up at them with an expression that was very familiar to Jane. "I don't think we're allowed PDAs anymore," she whispered to Loki with a smirk. He frowned, and then shook his head despairingly.

"You and your Earth vernacular," he sighed, stroking his daughter's hair tenderly. "I know that look too well."

"You see it in the mirror every time you look," Jane quipped dryly, and Loki glared at her.

"Rather I suspect that is your mother showing through, my little one," he retorted, looking back down at their daughter, who yawned, as if bored of them both, and settled to sleep, nestling into her mother's arms. "So imperious. Definitely your mother's daughter."

"Ha," Jane muttered darkly. "She's her daddy's girl if ever I saw one. And that's definitely pot calling the kettle black."

Loki sighed, and pulled her closer with his arm, and she relaxed into his embrace gratefully. "What shall we call her?" Jane asked sleepily.

"I had thought to let you decide that," Loki replied softly. Jane frowned, then smiled as old memories of Erik telling her stories from ancient mythology came to her.

"There's an old Irish name, Aoife. It means beautiful and radiant," she explained. "In Irish mythology, Aoife was the greatest warrior woman in Ireland."

"A fitting name for her, then," Loki pronounced. "Aoife. I like it."

"So do I," Jane smiled, closing her eyes as she cuddled the newly christened Aoife close. "Welcome to the Universe, Aoife."

"Let's hope it's ready for her," Loki quipped, prompting a tired chuckle from Jane as she fell back into slumber, her and their daughter cradled protectively in his arms. He stayed awake, a sentry on duty, watching over the two females who were the most precious things in the Universe to him.

* * *

Years later, Jane would look back on those first few months and wonder how they passed so quickly. But then, time did seem to pass so quickly on Alfheim.

She recovered her strength, and was up and about in no time. She and Loki quarrelled over almost everything, from Jane insisting he wasn't allowed to use sleeping charms on Aoife so they could get more than two hours' consecutive sleep a night, to whether or not they should allow Frey to bless the child in the Alfheim custom.

Aoife was an astounding child, but then she was so very powerful even from the womb, and despite Jane's modesty, both parents were extraordinary. She was crawling from only a month, then walking from three months, giving Jane and Loki new headaches over their all-too curious daughter, a trait they both blamed the other for, but only jokingly.

Jane started her combat training four months after Aoife's birth. The knife work was interesting and intricate, a real mix of dance and fighting, and despite how sore it made her, she loved it. Archery was another matter altogether, although at least some of that was Loki's fault.

She had just dropped Aoife off with Kaila for the afternoon, going to the archery range to meet Baelen for their usual session, when Loki had stepped out from behind an archery butt with a smirk as she'd looked for her instructor, his eyes dark and predatory.

"Baelen was called away. You'll be working with me this afternoon," he told her, his eyes raking over her practice gear. Jane eyed him narrowly, determined not to let him see how affected she was, when she'd come to practice.

"As long as my fighting skills are the only thing we'll be working on…" she muttered, feeling anticipation rush through her. Having a very active, advanced and curious four month old baby meant they no longer had as much time as they wished to spend together. In-between Aoife, her training with Baelen and Rila in combat and her studies, Jane usually went to sleep every night exhausted, and Loki wasn't much better.

She had a feeling that was about to change.

They'd started with the archery. Jane had taken up her stance, unable to avoid noting that the archery butts and practice area was absolutely deserted. Immediately, she knew it was a mistake to let Loki teach her anything, regardless of his skill, as he stepped up behind her, his heat in close proximity.

"You're too tense, Jane," he whispered in her ear. She felt his hands rise and smooth over her shoulders, forcing them to lower, before curving over her hand on the bow. "Marksmanship comes from breathing. Breathe in, and the arrow will rise. Breathe out, and it will lower. You must learn to control your breathing."

Her first attempt went wide, flying over the target set fifty metres away, and into the canopy. Jane growled through her teeth, sending Loki a narrow glare. With Baelen, she'd felt no discomfort and her focus was absolute. While not the most accurate marksman, she still hit the target if not the bull's-eye most times. Suddenly, as she nocked another arrow and pulled the bowstring back, Loki's free hand pressed hard against her abdomen, forcing her core muscles to tighten, and she sucked in a breath. Following her instinct, she released the arrow and it soared through the air until it hit the target, quivering in the bull's-eye.

"Continue like that, and you'll be off the practice bows in no time," he whispered in her ear, before retreating and watching her from a distance, occasionally offering advice. He was genuinely helpful, once at a distance, but Jane's muscles still quivered at the memory of his body pressed against her back.

Then had come the knife work, and that had ended in disaster.

She'd always known Loki was a formidable opponent, a master with blades even without using his magic, but the fact he was also her lover and mate, as the Elves called it, made it ten times worse. She tried to imagine a Chitauri in his place, or hell, even Lucy Poole from High School, who'd laughed at her braces and pushed her over during Gym enough times. But even that didn't help.

By the fifth time he pinned her, she was hot, frustrated and seriously torn between annoyance and arousal. He glared down at her, panting slightly, as she mentally congratulated herself for exerting him even that little bit. "You're not focussing enough," he growled. "You're holding back! Do not do so. An opponent in battle will not hold back, nor will they hesitate from harming you as you have done today."

"It's a bit difficult to concentrate when it's my own partner!" she replied heatedly. "You know sometime I don't know if I love you or hate you!"

"The feeling is entirely mutual," he'd growled back, before dropping his knife and reaching for her. Determined to get the upper hand, Jane had twisted him onto his back and pinned him with a triumphant expression.

"Got you!" she pronounced coolly, before throwing her weapons away and desperately kissing away his look of shock and surprise, their lovemaking descending into a more pleasurable, carnal extension of their fight, each battling for the upper hand.

Afterwards, they lay together in the dust and the cool shade of the practice area, panting and gasping for breath. "Well, that was unexpected," Jane gasped, slapping Loki's chest as he chuckled wildly beneath her. "Hey, not funny! Anyone could have walked in!"

"Trust me, love," he replied, once he recovered his composure, looking sinfully ravished and so very hers, on the ground underneath her. She draped herself over him, pleasure still thrumming under her skin, and ran her fingers through his shortened hair. "No one who knew we were here would have dared intrude. Our reputation precedes us, and you were rather loud…"

"Need I remind you who was yelling and moaning my name over and over again?" she retorted, and Loki just grinned unrepentantly, until his smile suddenly faded, the look in his eyes tender.

"It's been far too long. We mustn't forget this part of us, Jane," he told her quietly.

"I know," she breathed. "We won't. I'm sure you'll think of more than a few opportunities for us to spend together throughout the day, if I know you."

"Are you suggesting that _**I-**_?" he began, mock-frowning.

"That you have an irrepressibly dirty and one-track mind?" Jane cut him off with a roll of her hips against his, drawing a strained moan from his lips. "Yep."

"The match of yours, I think," he growled, already reaching up to pull her lips back to his.

* * *

After that, Loki left her training to Baelen. However, he also made sure to waylay her at least twice a day after they got out of bed, and Jane couldn't help but blush whenever Rila or Kaila told her how well she looked. As the months went on, she lost her baby weight and even toned up, the soft figure she'd had as a scientist giving way to the strong, lithe figure of the warrior. Despite disapproval from the older Elves, more of the women joined her in learning archery and self-defence.

Five months after Aoife's birth, she spoke her first word. "Mamma."

That night, Jane finally ate the Apple and accepted Frigg's gift. There was no way she ever wanted to miss a single moment of her daughter's life, or miss out on the all-consuming, sometimes difficult and dark, love she had found with Loki. They were both strong-willed characters, and Jane's defiance didn't fade with her mortality. It wasn't easy, but as Erik had once told her, the best things in life aren't always easy. Her research had been hard, with all the rejection and contempt from the scientific community, all those failed relationships until she found her man, and then he'd happened to be a partially psychotic, broken, manipulated figure from Norse legend. Nope, easy just wasn't in Jane's vocabulary and she couldn't be happier.

Things weren't perfect. As the months drew on, Loki sometimes grew tense and brooding, looking up at the sky from their observation platform and frowning darkly. A storm was coming, and he sensed its' approach. He didn't doubt it was headed for the Realm Eternal first, and he pondered what to do about it.

A plan was taking shape in his mind, although he didn't even tell Jane of it, knowing she would argue and refuse to co-operate. But he needed her to be safe, and he wondered how to make it work.

Frey was ailing, and although he'd only confided in Loki reluctantly, while drunk, Laevateinn had begun to turn against him. Like Mjolnir, the ancient sword was enchanted only to accept a bearer worthy of its power, and it seemed Frey no longer was. He doubted his old friend and surrogate grandfather would have the strength to withstand the storm.

* * *

Ten months after Aoife's birth, just as the Winter Solstice came, Rila and Baelen's child was born, a girl they named Aeslin. By then, Aoife was walking and talking independently of her parents, and she excitedly accepted the little Elf as a playmate, almost taking the newborn baby under her wing. All four adults smirked and laughed at Aoife's protective ways and her domineering personality. She was her father's daughter in that.

And in more ways than one. Aoife's magic had been present and she had wielded it from the womb instinctively, and now it often burst from her in uncontrolled surges that even Loki was astounded by. She was powerful, his little one, and she needed careful instruction if she was to avoid hurting anyone with her magic.

She had started sleeping through the night, but restlessly, and Loki realised with sinking heart that she, unknowingly and with no idea how to control it, had begun to sense and dream the coming storm, as he did. He could only be there to calm her, since all the techniques to block out the dreams were too advanced for a one-year old child, even her, his incredible daughter.

It hurt him more than he had ever imagined, holding her as she screamed and cried, Jane stood by his side, holding back her own tears and fear with gritted teeth, and try in vain to soothe her. Eventually, he worked out a spell to block that part of her power until she was old enough to control it herself, when she came of age.

But now, he watched and waited for the sign he knew would come.

* * *

When Aoife was eighteen months old, they were dining with Frey, Rila, Baelen, Alona and their children, drinking wine and talking idly in the twilight while their children played on the rug, shielded from the fire by a magical shield Loki had conjured.

Jane reclined in Loki's arms, her eyes dreamily closing, when an indignant cry and incoherent baby babble woke her up. Looking up, she realised Aoife had used magic to take a toy from Caleb, Alona's son, while Aeslin watched them both bemusedly.

"Aoife!" she scolded her gently, leaving Loki's arms to take the toy back, and give it to Caleb. "You do not use magic to take other peoples' things! Do you understand? It's bad!"

"Yes, Mamma, but Aeslin ask nicely, and he did not share!" Aoife muttered mutinously, in her babyish lisp, as Jane picked her up and perched her on her hip. Immediately the eighteen month old toddler began playing with Jane's hair and the necklace Loki had made for her around her neck, playing with the carved wooden pendant in the shape of a star eagerly. Frey and Loki chuckled, while Alona quietly scolded Caleb for not sharing. Rila smiled and conjured a new toy for Aeslin to play with, and the little she-Elf smiled and clapped happily, while Baelen lowered himself to the floor to play with her.

"She has your temper but her mother's sense of justice," Frey said to Loki in an aside. Loki didn't demur.

"She's a miracle," he replied quietly, watching his mate and daughter as Jane slowly spun in a circle, a mock-waltz, quietly humming to Aoife until the little girl's eyes drooped. "Time for bed, I think, little one."

"Not…sleepy…" Aoife replied mulishly between yawns. Loki just smirked as he took her from Jane and cradled her in his arms.

"Of course you're not," he murmured, passing a hand over her eyes and guiding them closed. He had perfected the sleeping spell until it had no side effects. Bar Jane's glaring.

"I told you to stop doing that!" she hissed half-heartedly. "You're setting a bad example to her!"

"She's asleep, Jane. Difficult to set a bad example when she's not conscious to-ow!" he was cut off by a slap to his arm, and he glared at her pointedly. Their company laughed and snorted into their wine glasses.

"I think the Lady has spoken, Loki," Frey chuckled, raising his glass to them just as a messenger strode into the room, pale and tense. The elder Aesir frowned as the messenger bent his head and whispered a few words into his ear, before he blanched and set his glass down, before the messenger bowed and fled the room as if the very hounds of Hel pursued him.

A silence fell over the group, dark and tense, the calm before the storm. "Frey, what is it?" Loki asked at last, Jane taking the sleeping Aoife from him. "What news from Asgard?"

"They are under attack," Frey replied, with a loaded glance at Loki and Jane. "Thanos has come."

* * *

_To be continued..._


	11. Going Forth

Veritas

Warnings: Suggestive themes and discussion of violence. One instance of bad language.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'Gift of a Thistle' from 'Braveheart', 'Statues' from 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II', Death Favours No Man' from 'Snow White and the Huntsman', 'Mhysa' from 'Game of Thrones: Season 3' and 'Aslan Appears' from 'Chronicles of Narnia: the Voyage of the Dawn Treader'.

* * *

_'But the helm of her secrecy had fallen from her, and her bright hair, released from its bonds, gleamed with pale gold upon her shoulders. Her eyes grey as the sea were hard and fell, and yet tears were on her cheek. A sword was in her hand, and she raised her shield against the horror of her enemy's eyes.'_

_- J. R. R. Tolkien, the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, Chapter VI_

* * *

After that long-awaited announcement, they were quickly dismissed and Loki and Jane put Aoife to bed.

Jane stood there for a time, watching her sleeping daughter, so peaceful and lovely in the moonlight. Her palm against the living wood, she felt a surge of comforting heat, and smiled mirthlessly. With a sigh, she turned and left Aoife, walking through the connecting door into their bedchamber, to find Loki stood before the windows, staring out at the Forest.

Silently, she glided over to stand with him, her arms around him from behind, as she pressed a kiss to his shoulder. "What will we do?" she asked quietly.

"There will be no 'we', Jane," Loki replied firmly. "I will go to Asgard, but I am going alone."

Anger rushed through Jane, as she stepped around him to stare him down defiantly. "You can't possibly think I'm going to stay behind while you rush off to fight?" she said slowly and quietly. "Because if you are, you've got another thing coming…"

"I do not doubt your courage, Jane," Loki replied, with such a bleak, dark look in his eyes, so that her heart ached. "But I will not run the risk of Thanos's threats becoming reality. I will not lose you to him."

"You won't, anyway," she protested hotly. "I may not have magic but I'm not the same defenceless mortal I was."

"And what of Aoife? Is she to run the risk of losing both parents?" he retorted, playing the trump card he knew she would find hardest to fight.

"You bastard," she hissed, her eyes flashing with darkness and rage. "Don't you dare try to use her to manipulate me?! She's your daughter too, what makes your survival less important than mine?"

"Better me than you, my love," he replied softly, reaching out to her and pulling her into his arms. Jane's eyes grew sad at his words, and his name was a pained gasp against his lips. "Please, Jane. Do not fight me on this. You shall not come with me to Asgard. Not this time."

"Loki, I can't!" she breathed, frantically. "I won't lose you to him again. We need you."

"I know, and that alone will give me the strength to fight and to return," Loki stated firmly, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Have faith in me, love. I will return."

She closed her eyes and buried her head in his chest. The argument was over, for now, but she was determined to argue more in the morning. She wasn't going to let him go alone.

Loki's lips pressed yearningly against her neck, following the graceful curve up until he reached her jaw, gently biting the fragile flesh beneath as she gasped and arched into him. Her mouth sought his, as his hands tore at her clothing, and she at his, Jane so desperate to keep him with her, she tried to absorb him into her very soul. He clung to her, both frightened and resigned to his coming fate, and the need to see Thanos destroyed. To protect his family.

* * *

The thought gave him courage as he dressed silently in the dark of the night, ensuring his departure went unmarked by putting a sleeping spell on Jane, naked and limp in their bed. Watching her sleep, so perfect, so beautiful, his jaw firmed and he tore himself away before he could weaken.

He bid a swift goodbye to his daughter, his little one, and silently promised her he would return. But as he turned away, pulling the hood of his cloak up, he acknowledged to himself that it was a promise he was not certain he would survive to keep.

As he descended into the darkness of the Forest, he allowed his armour, long left in some dark corner of the Universe during his time without magic, to enfold him once more and he put aside his love for his family with it. That belonged to warmer surrounds than the one he was about to enter, and he would need all his cunning and guile.

A cold smile lit his face, as he strode through the Forest and called to Heimdall for the first time in two years.

* * *

"Loki!" Jane sat bolt upright as the first rays of morning sunlight hit her face, her eyes snapping open. Her hand blindly sought for him next to her, but even as the cold, untouched bedcovers met her searching hand, instinct whispered he had already gone.

"I'm going to kill him," she muttered to herself, thinking fast. He couldn't have been gone more than a few hours, she could catch up…

As she shrugged on a robe, however, the sound of Aoife stirring in her room drew her up short. Wasn't Loki right, in a way? Could she go running off after him, and leave Aoife alone?

But if Asgard fell, there would be precious few powerful enough to protect her daughter. Jane had grown to love the Elves of Alfheim, but she didn't kid herself. Neither Rila, Alona, nor even the Mother herself held the power to protect Aoife from Thanos.

With a sigh, Jane closed her eyes and leant against the wood, resting her head against it. Unknowingly, she opened herself up to the telepathic connection that had existed between her and the Mother from the day she set foot on Alfheim. And with it, opened up a whole new vista of ideas, as she opened her eyes and raised her head with a smile more predatory than soft.

Loki had said she couldn't go to Asgard with him; he had said nothing of her coming after him and bringing an army with her.

* * *

She quickly dressed and fetched Aoife, balancing her on her hip as she strode into the palace, bypassing the sentries and straight into Frey's library.

"Loki has gone to Asgard," she announced to the room at large. Frey sat with his Ruling Council, and they all stopped to stare at her, open-mouthed. "We have to go after him."

Frey cleared his throat. "Now, no need to be hasty, Lady Jane."

"Hasty?" Jane repeated incredulously. "One man has gone to face down an entire army of Chitauri and Thanos to boot, we must help him."

"We are not warriors, Lady Jane," Alona spoke up coolly. "This is not our fight."

"Of course it's _**our**_fight!" Jane replied heatedly. "Do you believe that if Asgard falls, Thanos will simply ignore you? Let you live on in peace for not fighting against him?"

"What would you have us do?" Frey asked, with a raised brow. "Ask the Elves to fight?"

He chuckled, not seeing the insulted looks in the eyes of Rila and the others on the Council. "Now Lady Jane, I know you are troubled and worried for Loki," he began, so patronisingly, that for the first time in her entire life on Alfheim, she truly hated him. "But Asgard is well-defended and Thor will no doubt hold them at bay. We need not throw our hat into the ring, so to speak."

"So you would cower here, hoping and praying that Asgard stands," Jane retorted scornfully, Aoife watching the exchange with wide eyes, silent in her mother's arms. "Alfheim has some of the most skilled archers in the Nine Realms. Your skills as warriors are, or were, legendary. You fought against Laufey during the Ice Wars and the Long Winter. Where has that courage gone? Or are you all just born cowards?"

The four male Elves on the Council bristled, fire kindling in their eyes. Rila smirked ruthlessly. "Not all of us," she replied grimly.

"This is madness. Our power lies with the Mother. She will protect us," Alona cut her off, with a wild gesture and a cold voice, but even Jane could see the uncertainty in the elder Elf's eyes.

"Thanos wields more power than even the Mother," Jane retorted, feeling her rage give her strength, her eyes flashing with darkness and flames, allowing the others to see for the first time the true extent of the price she'd paid when she survived the darkness. "If Asgard falls, do you really think even She can hold out against such destructive power? I have seen what he can do, the damage he can do. He cannot be reasoned with, he cannot be bargained with, he just destroys and without discrimination-"

"Enough!" Frey suddenly exploded, his eyes blazing as he stood and stared Jane down . She refused to budge, defiantly tilting her head back, clutching Aoife tightly. "I rule here, Jane Foster, I say what will be done, not a mere human woman! We will not involve ourselves in a war that has nothing to do with us-!"

"Are you blind? Or just complacent?" Jane snapped back fiercely. "It's bad enough that you want to metaphorically feed Loki to the wolves, but to pretend if you bury your head in the sand long enough, it'll all go away!? You've become mad, Frey!"

"Enough with your impudence, woman!" Frey exploded, pulling Laevateinn from its sheath and pointing it threateningly at Jane, its needle-sharp point drifting over her breastbone. "Hold your tongue, in matters of which you know nothing! Or I shall ensure it never speaks so insolently again!"

Jane tensed and faced him down, Aoife suddenly crying in her arms, when the strangest thing happened.

The blade of Laevateinn suddenly glowed brightly, the runes which covered its long, straight blade burning as if they were on fire, and Frey threw it away from him with a pained cry. It flew through the air, and Jane instinctively brought her free hand up to snatch it from the air, seemingly watching as if from afar as her hand came up and took hold of the handle.

Shocked silence reigned, as the Ruling Council, Jane, Aoife and Frey all stared.

"Ok," Jane murmured. "What the hell just happened?"

"If wise be he who wields it, as the very runes which cover the blade proclaim," Rila recited, drawing all eyes to her, her own wide and awed. "It appears that Laevateinn has chosen a new owner."

"But that's not possible. It is mine, the All-Father gave it to me," Frey spluttered, his face turning an ugly shade of puce. "The rule of Alfheim is mine!"

"And yet Laevateinn has abandoned you," Rila replied coolly. "It would appear that the prophecies speak true, after all."

"Wait, what!? What prophecies, what are you going on about?" Jane asked, almost panicked as Aoife squirmed in her arms.

"Nothing. Old wives tales," Frey snorted dismissively, but even Alona now looked thoughtful.

"It was said that after the line of Queen Mothers died during the Long Winter, Alfheim would be ruled by one not of Alfheim blood, until one came who was, a mortal with Elven blood who could hear the Mother's call to battle in the coming of the storm, who would wield the Sword of Destiny and so avert the Twilight of the Gods. Ragnarok."

"But you can't think that _**I'm**_…no, that's completely insane!" Jane exploded. "I'm human born and bred-!?"

"And yet you can hear the Mother," Rila interrupted patiently. "There is historical evidence that Elves cross-bred with mortals before the Ice Wars, and you now bear Laevateinn. The blade has chosen you, Jane Foster of Midgard, you who have survived the darkness and fought and defeated Thanos once already."

"But I didn't-?" Jane murmured confusedly. "I'm not….you've got the wrong girl!"

"I do not think so," Alona murmured quietly. Jane was stunned by the elder Elf's cool approval of her, especially as Jane had always thought Alona merely tolerated her before. But respect now lurked in her grey eyes.

Frey seemingly decided events were slipping away from him, as he stood and rounded his desk to march towards Jane. "These fairy tales are all very well for children," he sneered at Jane, who decided she really didn't like him. "But I'll be having the sword back if you've quite finished playing at legends and prophecies."

Something dark and proud reared its head within Jane, and she stepped back with a haughty shake of her head. "Laevateinn is mine now, Frey. Clearly you've lost your way," she replied coolly. The Aesir made a grab for it, and that dark, proud creature currently wearing Jane's body burst into flame. She flipped the sword in her hand and struck Frey across the face with the hilt, drawing blood as he slumped to the floor.

"Mamma?" a small, quiet voice brought her swiftly back out from the darkness, and Jane blinked, and then stared in horror as Frey regained his composure with difficulty, and she realised what she had done. Aoife touched her mamma's face carefully, as Jane's eyes stared at her, before they softened and she clutched her daughter close, like a lifeline, as the little girl decided her mamma was alright again.

"Well, it seems I am deposed," Frey snarled, drawing himself up with what pride remained to him. "I curse the day you ever came to Alfheim, Lady Jane, and soon, so will all of Alfheim and your precious 'Mother'!"

And with that, he spun on his heel and stormed from the hall. A stunned silence fell, as Jane continued to stare at the sword in her hand, and Aoife played with her hair.

"What did I just do?" she asked, tremulously.

"You have reclaimed Alfheim from the Aesir," Rila replied, standing from her seat and coming to Jane, a comforting hand on her shoulder. "The old order is dying, and the new shall rise. What would you have us do, Queen Mother?"

Jane stared at them, as one by one, the Ruling Council all stood and bowed to her, and she mentally gulped. This was not what she had planned; but as she glanced first at Aoife, quite contentedly playing with her mother's necklace and utterly ignorant of Jane's sudden change in status, then at Laevateinn, shining coldly in her hand, and her jaw firmed. It wasn't what she had planned, but it would have to do.

"Gather the people," she replied, her voice carrying through the hall, proud and firm. "I would speak to them."

* * *

Rila took Aoife, as a bell rang throughout the city, calling the Elves to the square in front of Frey's palace, all wondering, some afraid, others resigned, all of them confused. The Lord Frey had just been seen storming from the palace and out of the city. Jane later found out he had returned to his native Vanaheim in proud defeat.

Jane stood in front of them all, lost and a little speechless, as Alona and Lord Knaven stepped forward. "Behold!" Alona called in a clear, strong voice. "We summon you to witness a miraculous event has come to pass. Laevateinn, the Sword of Destiny, has chosen a new bearer: Jane Foster, of Midgard and Alfheim, distant blood of our blood and the chosen daughter of the Mother. The ancient prophecies which spoke of her coming have come to pass, and the storm approaches. Hear her speak!"

"Wow, that wasn't a tad over-dramatic," Jane muttered to herself, feeling stupid and out of place. Gathering her courage, recalling how Loki spoke and held himself, she drew herself up and stepped up to the railing, grasping it tightly. She glanced at Rila, who smiled encouragingly. She wished Loki was there with her.

"Look, I won't lie to you," she started cautiously, her voice gaining strength and confidence as the crowd listened attentively, most surprised and buoyed by the departure of Frey, who was respected but not well-liked by those he had ruled. Jane had become something of a legend for her encounter with the darkness and the way she had pulled Loki back from the abyss that had awaited him with selflessness and love. She was well-liked and respected, both for her beauty and her intellect, which while educated differently from the Elves, was new and fresh to them. She was a beacon of hope and new life to them, and so they accorded her the honour of speaking unmolested. "We face a grave danger. Thanos of Titan has attacked Asgard," a ripple ran through the crowd at that. "Lord Loki has returned to Asgard to help as he can, but it will take more than one man, or even one army to defeat the hordes of Thanos. We possess the greatest archers in the Nine Realms and our magic is powerful. I will force no one to come against their will, but please…" she trailed off, gathering herself as her lungs constricted. "Please join with me. For the sake of your families, of your own lives, of all we hold dear and have worked so hard to build and preserve. For the sake of the Universe, will you fight for me?"

Silence fell, as the stunned crowd stared at her, like a Goddess of legend stepped down from the heavens above, or the Mother had taken physical form and now walked among them. It started first with a trickle, a tiny ripple of sounds, growing and growing until it reached a cacophony, a tidal wave, derived from a single word. "AYE!"

"All those who would fight, get ready," she called, instinct driving her now as she unsheathed Laevateinn and raised it high, the blade flashing in the morning sunlight. "For Alfheim!"

As the cry was taken up and echoed through the Forest, Jane uneasily wondered what on Earth, Asgard or Alfheim, she had done.

* * *

An hour later, she stood in her bedchamber, staring down at the ancient armour Rila had uncovered from somewhere, saying it was the ancestral armour worn by the Queens in battle, recovered from the body of the last Queen Mother. The metal was silvery grey, like the living wood that surrounded her, the plates complicated and intricate. Jane didn't have the first idea how to put any of it on.

Rila came in, already armoured and ready, a long, curving knife at her belt and a quiver of arrows at her back. She wore strange-looking bracers, long and silver, engraved with strange Alfheim runes Jane didn't recognise.

"Our people are ready, Queen Mother," she murmured softly, with a knowing smile. "Here, let me help you. The armour is complicated, I know."

"Thank you," Jane breathed gratefully. "Rila, am I doing the right thing?"

"You are the Queen Mother of Alfheim now, Jane," she replied kindly. "By accident or fate, your path has led you here and you have accepted it. Do not doubt yourself now."

The corselet of mail made Jane shiver as Rila slipped it over her head. Next came a restrictive leather corselet over her torso, followed by pauldrons and bracers that looked as if they were fashioned from leaves, but the latter gleaming golden in the light. If she squinted, Jane could see runes and ancient lettering engraved into the metal.

"Ancient spells, from before the Long Winter," Rila explained, as she bent down and strapped leg bracers to her calves, over her long boots. "For protection and courage in dark times."

"I'm going to need all the help I can get," Jane muttered, strapping Laevateinn to her waist herself. Rila handed her two knives, which she slipped into her bracers, and then a quiver of arrows and an Alfheim bow against her back. She helped Jan rearrange her hair so it was coiled against the nape of her neck in an intricate braided bun. "Where is Aoife?"

"Ready and waiting with the others, Queen Mother," Rila replied. "Baelen will keep her safe."

"Please, Rila don't call me that. Not while we're private like this," Jane begged quietly, and Rila nodded with a small smile. It faded, and a look of sadness and uncertainty haunted her lovely features.

"I wished to ask…that is Baelen and I, we wished to ask if you would care for Aeslin, in the event that we do not return," she breathed heavily. Jane spun, alarmed and grieved, as Rila grabbed her arm. "No, I do not say this lightly, Jane. I have all faith and hope in you, Queen Mother, but still…if the worst should happen, and we do not return, will you care for Aeslin as you would your own?"

She looked so desperate and urgent; Jane couldn't do anything else but assure her she would take care of Aeslin if Rila and Baelen did not return. Rila left her alone after that, and Jane closed her eyes, leaning her head against the wood.

She was not a religious person, never had been and probably never would be, but she prayed then, for strength from the Mother to see her through this.

_Give me the strength to lead them. I'm not a Queen, but please help me see them safely home again…_

A new voice echoed in her mind, with a surge of heat and comfort, so sure and certain, Jane felt it strengthen her, steeling her limbs and straightening her spine proudly.

_**Oh but my daughter, you are. You have been ever since you faced and embraced the darkness within yourself, and so gained mastery over it. You have the strength; now go forth, as you have always done…**_

Jane nodded to herself, and left the room with a new confidence in her step, the power of the Mother glowing in her mismatched eyes and her body, so she almost seemed to radiate light to those among the Elves who possessed the power to see her as such.

* * *

Waiting for her was the mighty grey stallion Loki had introduced her to, just after they heard of Thor's coronation. He was saddled and armoured like the other horses who now bore Elven riders, only a small number, among them the former Ruling Council, and she could see Aoife seated before Baelen, looking proud and gleeful that she was going and the other children were not, in her little green riding hood and cloak.

Jane was only bringing her because she suspected the only power able to protect her and help her escape Thanos should the worst happen lay with her grandparents. She did not doubt Frigg would help, but would the All-Father? She hoped so.

Carefully, she approached the might stallion and inclined her head. He did the same back, and touched his nose to her hand.

_My friend has gone to battle without me_, he said, _I would follow and I will bear you gladly, Queen Mother._

_Thank you,_ Jane thought back gravely. _I think we will both have a thing or two to say to him when we find him._

The stallion snorted with equine laughter. _Indeed we shall, my Queen. _

_What is your name, mighty one? _Jane thought.

_Glær,_ the stallion replied gravely.

_Thank you, for letting me ride you, Glær, _Jane replied with a grim smile, before mounting him with considerably more grace than she would have done nearly two years ago. He snorted and struck the ground with his great hoof, drawing sparks. Jane once more turned to her new people, looking out over them with sad, determined eyes. A small number of Mages and warriors were remaining behind to safeguard the elderly and the young, and once the main force was gone, they had orders to seal off the planet from the Bifrost and conjure a magical force-shield over them. It would not hold off Thanos indefinitely should the worst happen, but it would give them time to escape.

_All these people relying on me, _Jane thought to herself. _Rila, Baelen, Alona, Knaven, Hafnell, Glær, and so many others. If I fail, Aeslin will lose her parents, and Caleb and so many others too. If I fail them, I fail Loki and Aoife too, and the Nine Realms, including Earth. Darcy, Erik, Tony, Steve, Natasha, Clint and so many others…I cannot fail._

Jane's eyes met those of her excited, brightly curious daughter, and her resolve firmed. _I will not fail. I must not._

She led them down the stairs, the harsh wood transmuting to a soft slope beneath them, so the horses could walk with ease, until they reached the Forest floor. She felt the darkness within her mind, roiling and rippling, but it shied from her, with fear and respect. She was the Queen Mother of Alfheim, and she had tamed it. It bowed to her now.

As she stopped in the freshly remade imprint, tangled and twisted in the undergrowth, she took a deep breath before raising her eyes to the skies above. Summoning all her strength, so when she spoke, her voice was strong and clear, the voice of a Queen.

"Heimdall, it is I, Jane Foster of Midgard, Queen Mother of the Light Elves of Alfheim, bearer of Laevateinn and mate of Loki of Asgard. We bring aid and heed the call of Asgard against our common enemy. Open the Bifrost!"

For a moment, silence fell and Jane wondered if the gatekeeper would deny them entrance. Then the sky darkened, and the clouds swirled as if caught in a whirlpool, and Jane felt herself sucked away into the familiar chaos of the Bifrost, her host following behind.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	12. Return To Asgard

Veritas

Warnings: none.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'Robin Speaks' from 'Robin Hood' and 'Mhysa' from 'Game of Thrones: Season 3'.

* * *

_'Loki is pleasing, even beautiful to look at, but his nature is evil and he is undependable. More than others, he has the kind of wisdom known as cunning, and is treacherous in all matters. He constantly places the gods in difficulties and often solves their problems with guile.'_

_- The Prose Edda_

_'In each of us, two natures are at war – the good and the evil. All our lives the fight goes on between them, and one of them must conquer. But in our own hands lies the power to choose – what we want most to be we are.'  
- Robert Louis Stevenson_

* * *

Loki felt the air pulled from his lungs as he landed, with a jolt, on Asgard. He stood inside the great walls, looking out over the land beyond it, and there was nothing. The golden observatory was gone, the land decimated, the oceans turned to dust.

Beyond the gentle rainbow effect of the great shield that protected the rest of the city, Asgard was languishing in what Jane would have called a nuclear winter, the sky choked with Chitauri ships and Leviathans, and Loki felt a cold shudder down his spine as he felt Thanos's presence, closer and more insidious than ever before.

"Welcome back, Loki," a familiar voice called his name, and he turned to find Heimdall watching him from a makeshift console, his armour dinted and dull, his eyes golden and unseeing. "Your return has been anticipated. I see you have regained your magic."

"I have," Loki replied curtly. "How long has Asgard been under siege?"

"Many days in our reckoning," Heimdall stated. "The King and Queen await you."

He recognised two guards waiting behind the gatekeeper, and he sighed. "Oh, perhaps I should tell you, I had nothing to do with this," he muttered sardonically. "I will need your testimony on this, Gatekeeper. I have no doubt I am blamed for the success of Thanos's attacks."

"Indeed there is opinion you are," the Gatekeeper sighed, turning away from his post and falling into step beside Loki, as they walked through the silent city. "Queen Sif and some of her warriors believe this is your revenge for your exile. The people know not what to think anymore."

Loki was not surprised to hear Sif was now Queen. It had taken his lumbering fool of a brother long enough to work it out. Jane's not so subtle hint probably helped too. "And my brother, my mother?" he asked cautiously.

"Still hold out hope for your redemption. The All-Father as well," the gatekeeper replied solemnly. Suddenly, an amused smile lit his tired features, and Loki eyed it suspiciously.

"What is it? What do you see?" he asked.

"Events are moving fast, and we will soon be joined by others from the Nine Realms," he replied, and Loki sighed. He suppressed the urge to ask Heimdall to look for Jane and Aoife.

"From the look of things, we shall need all the help we can get," he mused grimly.

* * *

The streets were silent where the people had been evacuated further into the city and the countryside beyond, the only Aesir left those in the military or with magic, such as the Healers. The citadel was steeped in a watchful, tense silence but Loki could hear a rising crescendo of noise as they approached the hall of Gladsheim. He suppressed a sudden nervous tension, and drew himself up still further, as the doors opened and silence fell.

Hisses and whispers broke out as the changed former Prince of Asgard entered, clad in his old armour and sweeping emerald cloak, his eyes, green tinged with blood red in the pupil, trained straight ahead of him proudly.

Thor was sat in the throne, Gungnir at his side, Mjolnir tied to his belt, clad in his full armour. Sif stood on a lower step of the dais, too clad in her armour, the Warriors Three staring at him as if he were a ghost as he stepped forward.

"You are not welcome here, traitor!" Sif's lovely face contorted into a snarl, as she unsheathed her glaive threateningly.

"As impossible as this may seem to your narrow-minded view of me, my Queen," Loki bowed mockingly. "I am not the traitor this time. I come with help and advice, if you will have it. I, after all, am the only being in this room with experience of the creature we are facing."

"As his puppet," Sif sneered, just as Thor stood, his eyes wide and hopeful on Loki's face.

"Silence," he called firmly, holding up his hand to quiet his Queen. He stepped down from the dais, looking tired beneath his golden veneer, and Loki felt an unfamiliar emotion swell within him. Compassion. "You look…changed, Loki," he murmured softly.

"I accepted some of what I am…brother," Loki replied, just as soft and quiet. "My power has returned, I am Thanos's creature no more."

"No," Thor shook his head. "You are your own man, at last. I am…glad to see you, brother."

"And I you," Loki inclined his head "Much has changed me, since last we parted. And I have much to lose if Thanos should win."

"Heimdall!" Thor suddenly turned to the gatekeeper, his voice carrying over the great hall. "Does my brother speak the truth?"

"He does, my King," the gatekeeper replied solemnly. "I have watched Loki from afar these many months, and he has not been traitorous. Far from it."

"With all due respect, he has fooled you before, my Lord," Fandral suddenly spoke up, with a distrustful glance at Loki, who just returned it coolly. "He might have done so again."

"And subvert the All-Father's edict, his power?" Loki laughed scornfully. "You pay me a great compliment, _old friend_. Even I do not have the power to do so, especially once stripped of it."

"I'm just being cautious," Fandral replied with a frown. "Thanos knew exactly where and when to attack us, our weakest points. Such knowledge could only have come from you."

"It is possible Thanos learned much when he broke my mind," Loki argued testily, his body going rigid as the memories washed over him.

"So you are a traitor, then," Sif cut in, with some relish, as the crowd rippled with whispering.

"You know not of what you speak, my _**Queen**_," Loki snarled quietly, staring her down until she looked away. "If I betrayed Asgard, it was not knowingly so. And if I have done so, unknowingly or not, I am returned to pay penance for it."

"If you fight for us," Thor interrupted their barbed exchange with a clear, firm voice. "You fight as one of us, Loki. As a Prince of Asgard."

"Then I reclaim my place as a Prince of Asgard," Loki replied, loudly and clearly, ignoring the whispers carrying through the hall. "But do not think to command me always, brother. I am neither Jotunn nor Aesir, and I answer now only to myself."

"So be it," Thor gravely nodded, ignoring the incredulous looks on his wife and friends' faces. He stepped down to meet Loki, clasping his shoulder tightly. "I am glad to have you back, brother."

"This is madness!" Sif exploded, stepping forward. "My lord and husband, please reconsider. We cannot trust him, he said it himself."

"We can trust him in this," Thor replied firmly. "He has as much to lose as we do, my Queen. Perhaps more so, since he destroyed the portal on Earth."

All of a sudden, the sound of the Bifrost roaring into life shook them from their arguments, and they realised Heimdall had discreetly disappeared. Loki, Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three rushed to the closest balcony, looking down on the great space where Loki had arrived, to see a small host of ten riders on great white and bay horses, followed by more on foot, all armed, all carrying bows and weapons even the youngest child on Asgard would recognise. The Light Elves of Alfheim had come.

"I do not understand-?" Thor trailed off, his eyes wide.

"Where is Frey? I do not see him?" Sif murmured, as a figure cantered ahead of the host, as more and more poured from the Bifrost portal, passing the dimly gleaming figure of Heimdall. Loki shuddered, as anger and disbelief contorted his features, leaving his eyes wide.

"Jane, what have you done?" he half-groaned, half-chuckled.

* * *

They waited in the hall of Gladsheim, soldiers despatched to the temporary Bifrost to direct and house the new arrivals, as the commanders were escorted on horseback to the citadel. Loki stood beside Thor and Sif, impatient and still disbelieving.

_It can not be. It simply can not be her…_

But he had underestimated Jane before, to his own cost. He pushed aside his thoughts and simply waited for whatever would come through those doors.

His eyes widened as a tiny little figure, clothed in emerald green, dark ringlets bouncing, rushed through them, quickly pursued by a figure in Elven armour, copper hair bright in the light of the hall. "Papa!"

"Aoife, slow down!" Jane called. Aoife launched herself at Loki's legs, looking up at him with adoration and victorious delight splayed across her elfin features.

"Found you, Papa. Why did you go?" she frowned direfully, as Loki bent to pick her up with a long-suffering sigh, conscious of Thor and the rest of their company's wide eyes and slack jaws at the sight of the infamous trickster Prince being hugged to death by his daughter.

"I am here now, little one," he breathed, pressing a kiss to her forehead. With a sigh, as Jane reached his side, he turned and gestured to them with his free hand. "Brother, Sif, everyone else, meet the Lady Aoife Lokidottir, and my mate by Alfheim custom, Jane Foster of Midgard."

"Your daughter?" Thor gaped, hurt and shock flashing in his eyes. "Why did you not send word? To me, to Mother? To Father?"

"I tried but the All-Father's edict forbade any communication," he replied, neglecting to inform Thor of Frigg's secret visit when he and Jane were estranged. He turned to Jane with a glare. "I told you not to come after me, Jane."

"Nope," Jane replied coolly. "You said I couldn't come _**with**_ you. You neglected to say I couldn't come at all, let alone bring reinforcements."

Loki's eyes narrowed, as Thor chuckled. "You taught her too well, brother."

Jane smirked and hugged Thor, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Nice to see you too, Thor," she murmured. "Good to see you took my advice."

"Jane, your eyes!?" he gasped, as he drew back, releasing her. "What happened-?"

"Long story," she groaned. "I'll tell it later."

Sif narrowed her eyes at her, mistrust and suspicion written across her face. "Perhaps you would kindly tell us where the Lord Frey is, Lady Jane."

"Yeah, I could," Jane shrugged, "Once you get off your high horse and start asking nicely." Sif's face contorted.

"I am the Queen of Asgard-" she began proudly, as Jane stepped away from Loki and their daughter to stand toe to toe with the taller woman.

"Queen Consort of Asgard," she pointed out. "I am the Queen Mother of Alfheim, so I outrank you, Sif. And that idiot over there is my Prince Consort so try showing some manners."

Sif spluttered, eyes wide as fresh whispers broke out through the hall. "That is impossible-?"

"Nope," Jane unsheathed Laevateinn, showing it to the crowd, and then to Thor and the others. "We had an argument and Laevateinn obviously agreed with me. Frey is no longer the ruler of Alfheim, I am, apparently. Something to do with some prophecies," she shrugged again.

"What kind of 'argument'?" Loki asked pointedly. She turned grim eyes to his, and shrugged.

"He didn't like a woman questioning him," she shrugged. "He tried to hit me, I refused to let him and that was when Laevateinn switched sides."

Thor turned to Rila and the others, amassed behind Jane like an honour guard. "This is true?" he asked.

"Yes, it is," she answered respectfully. "The coming of Jane was long foretold but forgotten until now. She bears Laevateinn, who only permits the wisest to wield its power. She is our Queen Mother, chosen by the Mother. We follow her gladly."

"Honestly, I leave you alone for five minutes, and you lead a veritable revolution," Loki shook his head at Jane, as Aoife played with his cloak disinterestedly, looking bored. "No, little one. Be still."

"Don't want to," Aoife pouted. "Bored," she pronounced, as proud as an empress. Thor chuckled, his eyes soft as he regarded his niece.

"She has your look, Loki," he murmured softly, before addressing the hall. "We welcome the Queen Mother of Alfheim and her retinue. She and hers are welcome in Asgard," he said, before turning to Aoife with a questioning look at Jane and Loki. "Now, bored one," he joked. "I think there are two people who would very much like to meet you."

"We will discuss what to do, later," he told the others, Loki and Jane included. He levelled them a piercing stare. "I will want a full account of your life on Alfheim. I'm sure it'll be most entertaining." He darted a sad look at Jane's eyes one last time, as Jane just grimaced. It was a story she wasn't looking forward to telling.

Loki cautiously handed Aoife over to Thor, who laughed as the little girl promptly started tugging on his hair and clothes with interest. She gazed at Sif a good few minutes, unnerving the warrior. "You pretty, like mamma," she pronounced at last, and even Sif softened.

"Told you, bad influence," Jane muttered out the side of her mouth to Loki. "Not even Sif can resist her charms."

"Well she is the daughter of the Silvertongue," Loki replied archly, prompting a slap on the arm from Jane. "What was that for, pray tell?"

"For putting me under a sleeping spell, _**again**_, and taking off on your own. I told you, my choices are mine to make," she replied coolly, sheathing Laevateinn.

"How did you-?" he trailed off, with an amazed shake of his head. "You astound me, sometimes, Jane."

"Long story," she muttered wryly. "And I hate you by the way."

"Of course you do," Loki chuckled, drawing her to him for a deep, passionate kiss that knocked the breath from her lungs, his teeth nibbling at her lips as she moaned and ran her fingers through his hair. "And I hate you too, you obstinate, defiant little troublemaker."

"Sounds like your perfect woman," Jane quipped, drawing a chuckle from her mate. "Prince Consort of Alfheim."

"Queen Mother of Alfheim," he retorted teasingly, as she rolled her eyes. A throat was cleared, pointedly, and they paused to stare at their audience, the Warriors Three eying them like they were dangerous predators that might attack at any moment, Sif looking nonplussed and oddly triumphant as she met Jane's eyes, while Thor just laughed uproariously while Aoife played with his armour.

"Loki has met his match at last, I think," the Thunder God laughed, looking to Aoife who he was clearly falling in love with. "What do you think, Aoife?"

"Mamma and Papa good. They argue a lot, but then they go away somewhere for a long time and-" Aoife began with a quizzical frown, but Jane started forward at that.

"Ok, baby girl, enough of that!" she cut her off abruptly, plucking her from Thor's arms and settling her on her hip, while the others chortled quietly when she stopped glaring at them. "Eighteen months old and she's already as bad as her father."

"I heard that, Jane," Loki replied silkily, with a heated glance at his mate, who just returned it with a raised, challenging brow.

"You have your hands full with your women, I see, Loki," Fandral commented, seemingly forgetting his suspicion for the chance to tease and needle. Loki just smirked darkly.

"Oh, I'm never bored," he grinned, his eyes on Jane's hips as she marched ahead, following Thor to the royal quarters, all their worries and fears temporarily suspended by Aoife and her still babyish charms

* * *

_To be continued..._


	13. Just Human

Veritas

Warnings: suggestive themes

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'The Calm Before The Storm' from 'Chronicles of Narnia: the Voyage of the Dawn Treader'.

* * *

_'You gentle gods, give me but this I have, _

_And sear up my embracements from a next, _

_with bonds of death!'_

_-William Shakespeare, Cymbeline, Act I Scene I_

* * *

Jane stood at the railing of Loki's balcony, looking down at the ruined city and the sky above, consumed by the screeching Leviathans she remembered from New York, and alien ships she guessed were Chitauri.

Their meeting with Frigg and the All-Father had gone better than Jane had hoped. Loki's reception of his foster mother had been warming and loving, the All-Father…cool and civil, at least. Compared to what it had been, it was all Jane had hoped for.

They had been enchanted by little Aoife, and the All-Father had sent her a piercing glance when he noted the dark blue of Aoife's eyes and the changed colour of Jane's own, but made no comment. She and Loki had stiltedly told their story, although not all of it, explaining Jane's encounter with the darkness of Alfheim and how Aoife helped her survive from the womb. The Warriors Three had already become Aoife's eager chattels, even grim Hogun, who almost, _**almost**_, cracked a smile.

After Jane and Loki had put her to sleep in his old chambers, they had all gathered, along with the Aesir captains and Jane's own appointed commanders to discuss the situation at hand and their strategy. Jane knew nothing about strategy really, but even to her, it sounded bad.

The Chitauri had come without warning in the dead of night, destroying the oceans and the outer limits of the Realm in seconds. They barely had enough time to salvage the Bifrost and throw up an emergency magical shield over the remainder of the city. The Bifrost was secure, at least, and soon the Aesir who could not fight, the old, the infirm and the children, would be sent away to worlds removed from the conflict.

There had been no communication from the Chitauri, no word from Thanos, but if the grim look that had passed between Thor and Loki was any indication to Jane, Thanos was just waiting while his forces savagely bombarded the city. Waiting for his true prey to arrive, Asgard was just a secondary goal.

Loki. And possibly Jane. And through them, the Tesseract.

So for now, they could only marshal their forces, much improved by the addition of the Elves, and wait, and plan. Jane had taken Frigg aside and asked her help in protecting Aoife if the worst should happen. The Aesir had agreed solemnly, promised their full power for the task, and now the waiting started.

Jane didn't like it, at all. It was like the tense atmosphere of a thunderstorm, but without the exhilaration that had accompanied storms in the desert. She just felt gut-wrenching fear and nausea.

* * *

She felt Loki step up beside her on the balcony, his hand covering her own, and exhaled shakily. Immediately, she was gathered to him, her back to his torso, and she felt his lips press against the curve of her neck. "I hate this," Jane muttered passionately. "I hate just waiting for something to happen."

"Thor is well-known for his rashness," he replied softly. "I'm impressed he didn't just rush out and attack the moment the Chitauri appeared in the sky."

"He's matured, a little," she murmured, leaning into his arms and closing her eyes to the scenes of devastation beyond the shield. "Do you believe in prophecy, Loki?"

"Not anymore," he breathed, shaking his head against her neck. "There was a time when it held weight for me, but prophecy is useless without free will. Only we can choose to accept our 'destinies', or we can choose not. Destiny is for those who do not have the strength to accept the power of their own choices."

"Everyone else seems to," she whispered softly. "The All-Father, Rila, Alona, Baelen, your mother, even Thor. They all believe I'm this fated one, chosen to avert Ragnarok, whatever that is."

"What did you say?" Loki asked, abrupt and cool. Jane frowned over her shoulder at him, and repeated the word. Loki looked grim, as her frown deepened.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Ragnarok, the Twilight of the Gods. Like most cultures, a time was predicted when our race would come to an end, and this time was called Ragnarok, the final battle of the Aesir. It was said the Aesir would destroyed by one of their own, and yet not. After my fall, I considered that I might be that one, until you pulled me out of it and proved that destiny is not binding."

Jane shivered. "And I'm supposed to avert it, with a sword that apparently fights for itself," she shook her head as she walked back inside, to where the legendary sword gleamed on a plinth, running her hands over the cold runes that had burned like fire when the sword had abandoned Frey for her. "Why did it choose me, Loki?"

"If wise be he who wields it," he recited. "Frey has become complacent and a coward in his old age. He grew arrogant in his power and his authority, believed nothing could touch him. He lost his way, even as you found yours. You knew that Alfheim could not shelter from the coming storm by staying out of the way, you knew Thanos enough to realise he desires the death of all things, not just Asgard. You chose the wisest way."

"I'm not sure it was wise. Right maybe, but not necessarily wise," she snorted, sardonically. "What if the others die because of me? What if-?"

"Then they will have made their choice," Loki cut her off firmly. "And you must accept that. You forced no one to come, yet they came of their own free will. That is the burden of power, Jane, and it's the price you must pay."

"Then I don't want it," Jane replied vehemently. "When this is over, they can find a new Queen Mother. I don't want any of it."

"And that is what makes you worthy of this sword, Jane," he argued, running a reverent hand over the ancient weapon, untarnished by the passage of time. "That you realise power is not something you should want, but a necessary side-effect of wisdom, a burden, a curse."

"I never thought I'd hear that from you," Jane whispered, with wide eyes. Loki smirked, a touch self-deprecatingly.

"It has taken me much time and many bruises along the way," he chuckled to himself. "But I finally realised that truth. All along I yearned for more power than I already possessed, believing that I needed a throne to be my own man. Yet that power existed within me, all along. That is a great debt I owe you, my love."

The gaze he suddenly pinned her with was intense and haunted, as he left the sword and pulled her close. "Which is why I must ask one more thing from you, Jane. Only you have the strength to do this, if the worst should happen."

"You're scaring me, Loki," she breathed, her eyes searching his hopelessly. "Don't think like that."

"I must. It is only wise," his lips quirked. "Just as it was wise to ask my parents' help in protecting Aoife if we should perish. Thanos once possessed a great hold over my mind, and some of his influence lingers still. If he should take me, if I should fall once more under his power, I need you to stop me. No matter the cost, I will not become the creature I once was, I will not let him turn me into the creature that brought about Ragnarok and the destruction of everything I hold dear. Promise me, Jane!"

Tears sprang to her eyes, but she held them back. "I promise," she breathed, almost as quiet as the wind itself. "But only if there is no other way."

Loki hesitated, and then nodded. "Only if there is no other way," he agreed, hauling her into his arms and burying his face in her hair. With a flare of gold, he stripped them both of their armour, Jane's hair falling from its complex braid into a river of copper down her back. "And if anyone could find another way, it would be you."

"You think I'm so strong," Jane smiled weakly. "I think I'm just human."

"The little astrophysicist who looked at the stars, and dared to dream of their secrets," he replied tenderly, and she recognised his words from another time, a darker time that seemed almost simple compared to their current situation. "Who saved a wretch from his own darkness and followed him to new worlds. The little astrophysicist who became a warrior, a mother and a Queen. If that strength makes you human, Jane, then the human race will soon surpass even the Aesir. Do not believe yourself to be so weak, my love, for you are not. You, who have walked where the Elves and the Aesir feared to tread, you do not need magic or physical prowess to be powerful. Never forget that."

Jane smiled and let him pull her back into his embrace, her cheek against the soft cambric of his tunic. "You're a charmer, you know that?" she asked.

"Clearly a rhetorical question," Loki quipped, making her laugh exasperatedly, although quietly to avoid waking Aoife. "She will not wake," he assured her, and she growled at him.

"Loki! I mean it, no more sleeping spells!" she snapped, thumping him hard on the arm. "That's borderline child abuse!"

"Oh very well," Loki sighed, rolling his eyes. "You'll be begging me to use it again before long, when she's running into our bedchamber before the sun even rises."

"She's not that bad," Jane sniffed, glaring at him with her hands on her hips. "Can't you just…I don't know, cast a spell so she can't hear us?"

Loki sighed and made a strange gesture with his hand, in Aoife's direction, and Jane felt a tangible change in the atmosphere, like they'd stepped into a soundproof booth. "There, happy now?" he inquired haughtily. "No sound will disturb her now. It's really much easier just to use the sleeping-"

"No. Don't even go there," Jane retorted firmly as he reached out and pulled her against him, her lower body shifting against his with a teasing smirk despite the serious look in her eye. Loki's breath caught, and his eyes gleamed lasciviously. Slowly, he began to back her towards the steps leading towards his bed, avoiding the pile of furs and blankets that was Aoife's bed, until Jane finally caught the heel of her boot on a step and tripped backwards, falling into the soft cushioning depths of his bed with a laugh. For a moment, the waiting tension lifted, and they were just together, with a bed in close proximity and their daughter sleeping soundly nearby, bound by passion and need. As Loki stripped off his shirt, revealing the scarred, marked skin of his torso and back, Jane licked her lips, and eagerly raised her hands to run them over his skin, as he slowly lowered himself down to her.

"Is it difficult, coming back here after so long?" she asked, as his fingers nimbly untied the laces of her tunic, one hand in his soft black hair, her other lazily tracing the markings of his body, both the natural and the wounds from battles and tortures long past. When his body pressed into hers, and their skins brushed continually, it always created a delicious friction against the most sensitive areas of her body, and drove her crazy. Loki looked thoughtful, but not sad, as he pulled her tunic and under-shirt free. Jane gasped and arched as she pressed herself into him, arching her spine to better feel the heated friction of his skin on hers.

"No. I feel…detached," he replied, after a moment's thought, his voice low and husky with desire. "Asgard is my home no longer, and I no longer feel the pain I once did at its loss."

"And Alfheim is?" Jane gasped, as his lips ran the length of her neck, as she pushed down his breeches herself.

"No, not really," Loki growled. "My home is wherever you are, my love."

"That's the mushiest thing I've ever heard you say," Jane giggled, biting her lip as she pulled his hips against hers. Their breathing stuttered, and speech became impossible and unwanted, as Loki pressed a deep, consuming kiss on Jane, and she eagerly arched into his ministrations as his hands possessively roamed her body.

If there was an edge of possessiveness and desperation in their kisses and their caresses, new marks and bruises left by their lovemaking, neither commented on it. They just clung to each other, as they always had, as the day approached, with all its unknown events and consequences.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	14. A Wolf At The Kill

Veritas

Warnings: Violence and dark themes. One instance of bad language.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'Warriors on the Beach' and 'I'll Take Your Throne' from 'Snow White and the Huntsman'.

* * *

_'And within her, as if her hatred and anger had undammed a violent river, there rushed a brilliant, luminous sense of power, as deadly and implacable as a flood, as a wolf at the kill.'_

_-Alison Croggon, The Singing, Chapter XIII_

* * *

An explosion tore them from sleep. It echoed and reverberated through the entire city, like a thousand earthquakes.

Jane bolted upright, already scrambling from the bed to grab Aoife. She felt a flare of cold air around her, and she was suddenly clothed in her tunics and armour, her hair tightly bound and out of her face. As she picked Aoife up, the little girl sleepy and eyes wide with fear, she grabbed Laevateinn, and spun to find Loki too in his full armour, at the door, his hand held out to her.

"Come, we will be needed!"

Together, they ran down the corridor from Loki's old rooms, meeting Thor coming in their direction, looking harried and grim. "They have breached the outer walls. Our warriors are fighting to hold them back while our sorcerers try to re-establish the shield. We need you both."

"Go," Jane breathed to Loki, pressing a kiss to the hand clasped in hers. "I'll take Aoife to Frigg and Odin. Go, they need you."

With a nod and a kiss, both for Jane and for Aoife, Loki and Thor sprinted off, their cloaks rippling behind them, scarlet and emerald together. Jane watched them go, soothing Aoife, before she turned and hurried to Frigg's chambers.

Jane could feel a tangible pressure building in the air, making her ears pop, as more explosions came, closer to the city this time. There was no time for fear, as she skidded to a halt and pushed past the guardsmen to find Frigg watching from a window, clad in armour and armed with a knife. With a nod, she took Aoife and Jane pressed a kiss to her little daughter's forehead, gently prying her clutching hands away before she turned and ran, before her determination failed her and her daughter's cries tore her apart.

By the time she found the main courtyard, she found her people already there, armed and waiting for her command. With a nod, she mounted Glær and urged him around, drawing Laevateinn. She turned to Rila and Knaven, her main commanders. "Take the Mages East once you gain the wall, you'll be needed to rebuild the shield. Knaven, follow me and help the Aesir warriors. Come on!"

* * *

She pushed Glær into gallop, following the groups of Aesir warriors and sorcerers rushing through the labyrinthine streets, the rhythm of the stallion beneath her and the sounds of fighting and cries of pain drowning out the pulse of her fear and her nausea. _Please let him be safe, please don't do anything stupid, Loki…_

They galloped around the corner of a building, through an intersection, and then battle was upon them and Jane no longer had time to think or to fear. The fight rushed through her, subsuming everything but the need to survive.

For the first time, she understood what wielding Laevateinn meant. The sword did not fight for her in that it tangibly controlled her movements, but it flamed in her hand and Jane instinctively knew where and how to wield it. She struck down Chitauri after Chitauri, Glær rearing and snorting with exhilaration as he too joined in the fight, his mighty hooves bearing down on any who tried to attack them in a frontal assault. Jane felt only the heat and the power in her veins, and at last understood why everyone had always likened her to fire. She swept through the enemy forces inside the walls like an unstoppable wave of flame, destroying all in its path, even the innocent if she wasn't careful.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Mages split away from the main group of Elves, racing towards the Aesir sorcerers that she could see struggling to rebuild the shield. Chitauri on their flying assault vehicles dive-bombed them, and Jane gritted her teeth as she saw several sorcerers fall. "Knaven!" she shouted to her second in command, "Baelen! Protect the sorcerers!"

Suddenly Jane's ears popped, and she spun Glær to find Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three sprinting towards them, crashing into the enemy lines like the forces of nature they were. She realised why they were once called Gods by her people, the clash of their weapons and the battle cries torn from their throats were the crashes of thunder and the explosion of lightning as Mjolnir sang with bloodlust. Laevateinn flamed in her hand in response, and she reluctantly admitted that she really was not human anymore. She had joined this pantheon of warriors and sorcerers, she was one of them, alike and yet unlike.

With a thrill, she spotted Loki in the melee, and sighed in relief. He stood in the centre of the sorcerers and Mages, and seemed to be directing them. Her men reached them, surrounding them and keeping the encroaching Chitauri back. More explosions tore through the surrounding buildings, and Glær reared in fear, as a new feeling came, of cold and apathy, stealing through the Aesir's limbs, weakening their resistance. An eldritch screech had Jane looking up, to see a smaller version of one of the Leviathans, a cloaked and armoured figure riding atop it that Jane had only heard about, but she recognised him with a shudder: Loki's old tormentor and former ally, the Other.

With a snarl, Jane dropped Laevateinn, and drew her bow, nocking an arrow and taking careful aim. The creature the Other rode upon wore the same undulating armour that its larger cousins did, and she could see ripples of vulnerable white flesh between the platelets of armour. She had never shot from horseback, and she reached out to Glær with her mind.

_Be still, my friend, please! Just for a moment…_

The great stallion stilled, snorting with fear and unease, as Jane's eyes narrowed. As if in a dream, she remembered Loki's one archery lesson with her. _ Breathe in, breathe out…_

Her fingers released the bowstring, and the arrow went forth like a bullet, tearing into the bare flesh of the creature as it had dived towards the sorcerers. And at last, Jane saw why the archers of Alfheim were so feared, not just for their deadly accuracy but also for the magic which dwelt within their weapons, as the arrow sank deep into the creature's flesh and then exploded. It went down with a terrible scream, making Glær rear. Jane patted his steaming coat soothingly, before stowing her bow and calling Laevateinn to her hand once more. It came willingly, sensing its wielder's need, as the terrible figure of the Other rose from the ruin of his mount.

She could see no eyes, but felt his gaze, cruel and considering on her as she dismounted, whereas before he had mocked all opponents. She had killed his mount, and now he recognised her with a snarl and a hiss, and a bloody grin stretched across his lips. A long, curved blade that shone with a sickly gleam appeared in his hand, as Jane walked steadily through the devastation towards him. She heard her name called, but ignored it, as if in a trance as she marched purposefully towards her new opponent.

"This must be a jest, surely," when the Other spoke, his voice grated on her ears like nails on a chalkboard. "A pitiful mortal broke my Master's power?"

"Believe it," Jane replied through gritted teeth. "Neither you nor your master will ever touch Loki again!"

She settled back into a ready stance, never taking her eyes of the Other as he growled menacingly. When he moved, he moved faster than lightning, forcing Jane to bend backwards to avoid having her head cut off. As it was, his blade nicked her cheek and a trickle of blood trailed down her cheek. Jane dropped to her knees and pivoted, just like Baelen had taught her, but this was no mock fight, no sparring session. There would no reprieve if he beat her.

She immediately guessed she was up against an opponent who was both ruthless and cunning, like the proverbial snake, as she ducked and parried blows to her head and torso. She caught one on her bracer, sending a twinge of pain through her entire arm, before the runes in the bracer flamed, and the Other recoiled with a shriek of pain. Jane didn't stop to stare in wonder at her arm, but followed it up with a series of stabs and slashes, pushing the Other back. Laevateinn whispered a warning, as she saw the Other return her blow with one of his own that swept under her guard and sent the sword flying through the air, away from her. Nodding to herself, she let herself roll and snatch up a discarded arrow from the ground, waiting and listening, pretending to be injured.

She heard him snarl victoriously. "Both the runt and his whore shall fall before the might of Thanos!"

Seizing her chance, Jane stabbed backwards with the arrow, driving it deep into the leg of the Other as it gripped her hair for the death blow. He fell back with a snarled shriek of agony, as Jane sprinted for Laevateinn, feeling the Other's murderous pursuit, no longer playing with her, intent on the final kill. She gripped the sword and ran for the corpse of the Other's mount, stepping up onto the massive tail and jumping, pivoting in the air and bringing Laevateinn slashing down. It took off the Other's arm at the shoulder, his weapon falling uselessly to the bloodied ground; the alien's own blood hissing at it touched the marble. Jane smirked in dark self-satisfaction, hefting Laevateinn and twirling it indolently as she approached the snivelling alien. She could see his arm wriggling and crawling on the floor, with a sneer of distaste. She gripped the Other's hood, forcing his sightless face up to hers, and smiled, her eyes flashing with darkness and fiery rage.

"You know the problem with you alien super-villains? You are so full of yourselves," she hissed, releasing the Other and pivoting, bringing Laevateinn slashing through the air in a horizontal blow. The ancient blade bit through scaly, dead skin and sinew, dark blood singing the metal, as the Other's body fell away from its head, and Jane stepped away nonchalantly.

* * *

Suddenly the roaring wind quietened and the pressure surrounding the fighters stopped, as the shield sealed over, at last, and the final few surviving Chitauri fell to the Aesir with deathly screeches.

Jane could hear voices calling her name, familiar voices, but the creature wearing her skin cared not. For a moment, the darkness inside of her reigned supreme, and she coldly looked at the approaching group of men and women, one racing towards her ahead of the rest, dark, handsome and blood-stained, reeking of magic and a darkness to match her own. Loki.

_My mate, my lover and the father of my child…he is known, he is loved, he is no threat. It's over!_

Slowly Jane came back to herself, staring first at her hand clutching Laevateinn, then at the severed head of the Other, as she felt the bile rise in her throat. She sheathed Laevateinn, just as Loki skidded to a halt in front of her and hauled her into his arms. Their lips met, his kiss tasting of blood, scorched metal and magic, tangy on her tongue, as she kissed back with relief and need, the dark warrior that had taken over with ruthless precision when she'd spotted the Other sinking back into the depths of her psyche.

Loki's forehead was heavy on hers as they slowly broke apart, his lips remaining a hair's breadth from hers, as she shuddered and trembled in his arms. "I killed the Other," she whispered faintly.

"Yes, you did," Loki agreed, barely sparing a glance at the decapitated corpse beside them. "He had it coming long enough."

"Thanos is going to be really annoyed now, isn't he?" Jane asked.

"Most likely," Loki chuckled grimly, a look of shock and awe in his eyes.

"Just thought I'd check," she muttered, as Loki once more bent his head to hers, kissing her so deeply she almost forgot her own name in the harsh, hungry battle of their mouths.

"Queen Mother?" she dimly recognised Rila's voice as they broke apart once more, Loki's arm tight around her waist, as she blearily stared at their audience. Rila looked almost wary of her, and it pierced her heart to see that wariness in her friend's eyes. "Are you injured?"

"A scratch. No big deal," she shrugged, as Thor, Sif and their entourage looked at her with new respect. There was a sadness in Thor's eyes that rankled slightly.

"What have you done to her, Brother?" he breathed, looking at Loki almost angrily.

"Nothing I did not choose for myself, Thor," Jane replied testily, beating Loki to it. "We cannot always be damsels in distress for you to rescue. Is it over?"

"We have beaten back the first wave," Loki told her. "But it isn't over yet."

Jane nodded to herself, as Glær trotted over to them, whinnying softly as he nuzzled her hair, crusted with sweat and blood, before butting Loki playfully on the arm. _It is good to see you, old friend,_ the stallion snorted softly against Loki's palm. _You did us great disservice when you left us behind._

_I thank you, Glær, for protecting my lady in battle,_ Loki replied gravely._ Pardon the sentiments of an old man, my friend._

_Your lady is a fierce warrior. You should not underestimate her,_ Glær retorted, as Loki shook his head with a darkly passionate look at Jane in the circle of his arm.

_Indeed, I shall not from this day make that same mistake,_ he thought, for both the stallion and Jane to hear, as they slowly walked back to the citadel, the remaining warriors and sorcerers helping to retrieve the dead and the injured from the destruction. Above them, the ships and Leviathans of the Chitauri hung like demons in the sky, ever-present and threatening.

* * *

They had just reached the doors of Gladsheim when a great screech tore through the golden halls, causing everyone in hearing distance to clutch their heads in agony, all bar Loki, who listened with a grim expression. A voice, terrible and as dark as the abyss it came from, rang through the city, so none was deaf to it.

_You have won one victory, Asgardians, and for this I congratulate you on your valour and determination. They amuse me._

_But the death of a servant requires payment. I, Thanos of Titan and servant of the final darkness, bid you send me the cowering traitor Loki Laufeyson, and the Tesseract, and I shall spare Asgard. I will give it to you as a plaything, to remain in the darkness that will cover the Universe when I conquer it. Refuse, withhold them from me, and I shall not be merciful. You have until the dawn to decide. Choose wisely, Asgardians…_

The voice and the screech subsided, leaving behind a stunned, tense silence, as their group all paused to look uneasily at Loki and Jane, the former's features staunch and resigned. "So, his endgame is set," he muttered grimly.

When they entered Gladsheim, it was to find the All-Father and Frigg waiting for them, just as cold and grim as Loki. A wriggling bundle of emerald green fabric tore free of her grandmother's restraining arms and dashed across the room, Jane falling to her knees to scoop her up and hug Aoife fiercely. Loki paused long enough to press a tender kiss to her dark curls, running a hand through them, before standing tall and facing the assembled group, all grim, all uneasy.

"We all heard what Thanos has demanded," he began with a clear, cold voice. "His terms are final."

"We will not give you to him," Thor replied fiercely. "Neither would we relinquish such a powerful weapon as the Tesseract to him."

Loki's lips quirked. "Oh, but dear brother, that is exactly what you can and will do."

They all stared at him, with slack mouths, as Jane stood with a fierce expression. "No!" she hissed. "I will not lose you to him again. This is crazy, Loki!"

"Maybe, but it is the only way to avert his endgame, so to speak," he argued, looking to the All-Father with a knowing gleam in his eye. "The Tesseract will be needed here, and as such, you will not give it to him willingly. He knows this, but I, on the other hand, am an independent being and he knows I have weaknesses now. Weaknesses I would die for, and there lies our chance. He is expecting me to come to him to beg mercy for the lives of Jane and our daughter, at whatever cost. He will take me, and believing himself invulnerable, he will expect you to follow to retrieve me with the Tesseract as your weapon. So he means to gain his revenge on me for my betrayal on Earth, gain the Tesseract and crush Asgard in one stroke."

"I fear you read the game right, Loki," Odin sighed wearily. He bent an intent, searching gaze on his youngest child, and then on Aoife and Jane. "He will know, however, that you do not believe he would spare your mate and child. He will suspect a trap."

"Not as much as his arrogance and his greed will blind him," Loki retorted. "We cannot hold out forever. Soon, the Bifrost will become impassable and our resources will run low. Even the Aesir cannot endure forever on air alone. And there are other weapons in his arsenal, weapons he has held back, which could level the city in seconds without touching a single brick or slab," he finished, with such a bleak, haunted look in his eyes that they all mentally flinched.

"You can't go back to him," Jane breathed, with tears in her eyes, tears of anger and desperation. Aoife watched them solemnly, not understanding anything of the importance of their plans, but sensing it was bad. "He'll torture you, hurt you again."

"Indeed, he likely will," he agreed darkly. "We did put quite a dent in his plans for universal conquest back on Earth. The Tesseract remains out of his reach, for now, but in order for us to strike at him, decisively, we must put something he wants within his reach. He will not be so foolish as to try and manipulate me the same way twice; no, he will employ a less subtle technique to subdue me this time."

"You mean he will enslave you as you did the mortal SHIELD agents on Earth?" Thor mused. "The spell was lifted when they were struck on the head. We could do the same to you, and then we have a man on the inside, so to speak."

"Enough!" Jane snapped, stepping forward to glare them all down. "We're talking about willingly sending a man off to torture and enslavement, on the off chance we can make Thanos comfortable enough to wrong-foot him!? This is crazy!"

"And this is my choice, Jane," Loki pointed out softly, with a sad look at her and Aoife, still and quiet in her mother's arms. "I do it for you and Aoife. Accept it, please."

Jane shuddered and had to look away to hold back her tears of rage and frustration. The dark warrior within her paced and prowled within the cage of her mind, demanding to be let out again, to kill and tear, to escape the pain within her soul.

"We do not do this gladly, Jane," Sif's voice, soft and pitying, was the last thing Jane had expected to hear, as the dark-haired warrior placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "But it may be the only way."

"Jane," Loki breathed, stepping forward and tilting her head back round to his with two gentle fingers on her chin. "I must do this. Just…do not forget your promise. Unless there is any other way…."

"Any other way," she breathed, trembling with the force of her emotions. "I love you. No matter what he does, never forget that."

"Never," he vowed fiercely, embracing both her and Aoife tightly, before gently chucking the girl's chin and gazing at her intently. "I need to go away for a little while, my little one, and I need you to look after Mamma, and be a strong girl for me. Can you do that?"

Aoife nodded solemnly, before her face crumpled, and she leaned forward into her father's arms, hugging him desperately. He gently disentangled her hands from his hair, kissed Jane one last time, and summoned a weak, cocky smirk. "Well, no time like the present."

He nodded to Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three, and the Thunder God stepped forward to clasp his shoulder. "No matter what happens, we will come for you," he vowed, and Loki nodded with a facsimile of his devilish grin.

Frigg hugged him desperately, before he exchanged a few words with the Elves assembled in the room, and looked to the All-Father, last of all. "Good luck, Loki," he breathed, with a dead look in his eye. "You have become a great man, my son, and I have never been prouder of you."

"You might regret that in a few hours," Loki murmured, but Jane could see through the veil of her tears he was touched. He locked gazes with her one last time, and smiled that smile she both loved and hated. "I'll see you soon, Jane."

"You can count on it," she replied firmly, as he smiled and walked away, back straight and head held high, as proud and regal as the Prince he'd always been.

* * *

He walked, unimpeded through the devastated city, and out of the shield, and into the deathly chill of the wasteland. Immediately, his body was taken and transported into one of the ships hovering above, and he smiled mirthlessly as he met the glowing, malevolent red eyes of the creature that had driven him insane.

"Hello, old friend," he hissed sardonically, just before his world was stripped away, and all he knew was agony.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	15. On The Side Of The Angels

Veritas

Warning: none.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'Science and Magic' from 'Thor' and 'Another Brick In Hadrian's Wall' from 'King Arthur'.

* * *

_'Death could drop from the dark_

_As easily as song - _

_But only song dropped,_

_Like a blind man's dreams on the sand_

_By dangerous tides,_

_Like a girl's dark hair for she dreams no ruin lies there,_

_Or her kisses where a serpent hides.'_

_- Isaac Rosenberg, Returning, We Hear the Larks_

* * *

_'Oh I may be on the side of the Angels, but don't think for one second that I am one of them.'_

_-Sherlock, The Reichenbach Fall_

* * *

Jane could not stop shaking after Loki left them, Aoife wriggling slightly in discomfort in her mother's arms from the tightness of her grip. Her mind whirled, and sobs welled up inside of her only to be forced back down. In that moment, she knew what it was to hate, and hate so deeply. She hated all of them, for letting Loki go and accepting his plan, she hated herself for not arguing harder, and she hated Loki for making her feel like this.

She felt a gentle hand smooth along her arm, and spun to face its owner with a fierce expression. Frigg almost recoiled from the burning flames in Jane's eyes, as she smiled sadly. "Come, my dear. Let's get you cleaned up and your little one somewhere quiet," she led her away, from the quietly talking group of warriors and sorcerers, away from her own people who looked at her with pity and fear, Aoife clinging to her mother's neck.

"Where is Papa?" she kept asking, and with every repetition, Jane's heart broke a little more.

Every time she asked, Jane only replied in a dead, monotone voice. "I don't know."

Eventually, Aoife stopped asking. Frigg led her to Loki's chambers, gently took Aoife from her and sat the little girl down on the huge bed, with a sad, strong smile. Jane envied her that. "Your Papa has had to go away for a little while," she told her gently. "But he'll come back, sweet girl, and if he doesn't, your Mamma, Uncle Thor, Aunt Sif and the others will go and get him back. And you must be a good girl and never give up hope. Do you understand?"

Aoife nodded gravely, her tears drying on her cheeks, as Jane could only watch, numbed. Frigg wiped away the remaining moisture with the sleeve of her gown, before taking off Aoife's cloak and calling for hot water, food, wine and juice for Aoife. The graceful Aesir looked up to Jane, and beckoned her forward. "Help me bathe her, Jane. Then she can sleep."

As if moving through treacle, Jane stripped off her own armour, down to a loose, light under-shirt, as a small golden tub was brought and filled with warm water scented with oils. They bathed Aoife, the little girl quiet and thoughtful, and then Jane brushed out Aoife's long curls, so dark like her father's, but forming perfect ringlets. She wasn't sure where she got them from, since Loki's was straight most of the time, and the curliest Jane's ever got was loose waves, but she had a dim memory of her mother having curly hair. The thought sent a spike of pain through her, and she gasped inaudibly. Frigg gently took over, before she coaxed some food into the little girl and then tucked her into bed, stroking her hair until she slept. Jane watched, numb and cold, knowing that was what she should be doing, but she just _**couldn't**_. Not now, not with Loki alone out there, being tortured, being hurt and warped all over again, and it just wasn't _**right**_!

"Oh my dear," Frigg breathed, rising from the bed to enfold Jane in her arms. "My poor, sweet girl. It will be alright."

"No, no it isn't alright," Jane shook her head, closing her eyes against the scented comfort of Frigg's arms. "He's out there, with that monster, and he's hurting him, I know he is, and we let him go-!?"

"I know, my dearest, I know," she breathed. "But he would not have proposed this course of action if he did not think it would work. My son, for all his virtues, is not a natural martyr, and he has faith in you. He knows you will come for him."

Jane could say nothing more to that, as Frigg sat her down and bathed the cut on her cheek, salving it, before she gently forced Jane to lie down beside her sleeping daughter, and before she knew it, she was drifting off into a peaceful, dreamless slumber, one she dimly sensed was aided by magic.

* * *

When she awoke, the room was dark and the stars were veiled outside. She opened her eyes, and leant up onto one elbow, watching the pale outline of her sleeping daughter beside her. So innocent, so pure and good, and unknowing of all the darkness in the world. Feeling strengthened, her numbness gone, replaced by a stern focus, she bent over Aoife and pressed a kiss to her curls. "I will bring him back to us," she breathed, vowing it, as strength, both her own and from the Mother, so very far away, flowed through her. She rose from the bed and clothed herself, drawing her hair back in a tight, braided bun, before slipping on her armour. She tied Laevateinn to her sword belt, pausing for one last look at Aoife, before she slipped from the room.

Frigg stood outside, in the shadows, watching her with sad eyes. Jane merely met her gaze with a cool pride, and nodded. "Take care of her, protect her for us," she breathed, not waiting to hear the Aesir lady's quiet promise before she strode away.

The halls of the citadel were silent as she marched through them, but she was aware of the shadow matching her every step. With a quiet patience she'd learned from Loki, she waited for her to speak.

As she neared Gladsheim, she felt a hand pull her to a stop. "I would not try to stop me, if I were you, Sif," she simply said, cold and unmoved.

"Whatever plan is decided upon, you should not come with us," the warrior retorted fiercely. "You are compromised; your emotions rule you now. You will be a liability."

"And if it were Thor, would you remain behind?" Jane asked, challengingly. She turned and faced Sif, well aware that her grip on her humanity was sliding, and that dark warrior that had killed the Other was taking her place. To the Aesir, it seemed a cold fire now burned in her mismatched eyes, and Laevateinn smouldered in its sheath.

"I do not have a child that depends upon me," she argued coolly. Jane's face contorted, as she wrested her hand from the Aesir's grip, and smiled. Predatorily.

"And you have no idea what I will do to ensure that child will have both parents," she hissed, taking a step towards her with every word, making the warrior blanch and back away, suddenly afraid and wary of this mad, cold creature that bristled with darkness and inchoate power, as she had been afraid of little else. "Do not think to best me in this, Sif of Asgard. I am not the same mortal you once knew. There is nothing I would not do for my family. Nothing."

"You would burn all of the Nine Realms to regain Loki," Sif breathed, with wide eyes. "He has turned you into himself, mad, amoral and without restraint."

Jane simply smiled, baring her teeth, with a scornful chuckle. "I turned myself into this when I faced down the darkness and won, when I bore the child of Loki, when I accepted his love along with longevity. I became this when I chose to accept Laevateinn, and with it, the power of the Mother. All creatures, even sentient planets, possess dark sides, Sif. Even you, if you dared to look, if you had the courage to."

And with that, she turned away and strode into the hall of Gladsheim, leaving Sif pale and stunned behind her.

* * *

Thor was not surprised to see her, and unlike Sif, did not try to dissuade her from coming with them. The only problem they still had was that they could not figure out a way of gaining entry to Thanos's ship, the _Sanctuary_, without risking the capture of the Tesseract. Despite Thor's protests, they all knew the only weapon capable of destroying Thanos was that.

"Can we not use the Tesseract to find a way onto Thanos's ship?" Jane asked, coolly. The others kept sending her concerned glances but she ignored them, standing with Rila, Alona, Baelen and Knaven opposite the Aesir. "If one has the power to wield it."

"We cannot risk that," Fandral shook his head. "The Tesseract is unpredictable, and too powerful for any of us to control."

"Except the All-Father," Jane argued, looking to the silent figure standing beside the throne pointedly. "This is his Realm. Should he not defend it too?"

The Aesir bristled, but the All-Father held up a hand to silence them, with a piercing stare at Jane, who held it defiantly. "She speaks the truth," he murmured. "And one last time, I shall enter the battle once more. But we cannot use the Tesseract to enter Thanos's ship; its power would be detected immediately. No, there is another way."

"The pathways between realities," Thor breathed, with unease in his eyes as he gripped Mjolnir tightly. "Loki used them often to come and go without detection. But they are dangerous, Father, and not all of us here are sorcerers."

"But we will go, regardless," Jane continued, with an understanding look at the All-Father. "Anyone who wishes to remain can do so, but I will go, alone if I have to. I will not lose Loki to him."

"Nor will I," the All-Father sighed. "I have lost him once, and I will not lose him again."

"Then, for once, we agree on something," Jane chuckled humourlessly, looking to Rila, Baelen, Knaven and Alona solemnly. "I will not force you to come with me."

"We will follow you, Queen Mother," Rila replied firmly, Baelen joining in after a moment's hesitation. Knaven indicated his desire to come, and Alona did, last of all. Jane regarded them for a moment, before shaking her head.

"On second thoughts, no. I want you, Mage Lady Alona and Lord Knaven, to remain in Asgard and take command of our forces. If the worst should happen, I'm relying on you to help protect my daughter."

Knaven made a noise of protest, but Alona nodded. "Very well, Queen Mother. I shall do as you ask," she inclined her head.

Jane looked to the Aesir, who hesitated and raised her brows challengingly. "Well? Surely you're not going to let one old man go alone?" she asked. The Warriors Three bristled, as did the small contingent of warriors that had been summoned. She looked to Thor, and assured him. "I know you will come, Thor. Your answer was never in doubt."

"No, it is not," Thor replied, heavily. "But nevertheless, I fear for you, Jane. The power you now bear, both of Laevateinn and that of the life-force that inhabits Alfheim, is changing you. If you go, I fear you'll be lost forever."

"You should have more faith," Jane smiled, allowing her cold mask to recede for one moment, her warmth breaking through in her smile. "I can control the power, Thor, because I must. For Loki, for Aoife, for Alfheim and the Elves and for everyone else in this whole damn Universe. It will not control me."

"I hope so, for all our sakes," he replied, with a resigned smile that made her inwardly laugh.

"You're all looking at me like I'm some kind of all-powerful, wild animal that might turn on you at any moment," she shook her head.

"The prophecy of Ragnarok did not specify Loki as the destroyer of the Aesir. If the worst happens, if we should lose Loki, how do we know you will not turn on all of us, Queen Mother?" Sif spoke up with a pointed look at her, and Jane shook her head.

"And I'm also the one prophesised to avert Ragnarok. What am I going to do? Stab myself with Laevateinn?" she retorted sarcastically.

"Enough!" the All-Father's words cut through the argument, drawing both women up short, as they looked to him. "Every moment wasted arguing is a moment more that Thanos draws closer to victory. When the dawn comes, we will move."

* * *

_To be continued..._


	16. Jane's Choice

Veritas

Warnings: Violence. Discussion of torture and dark themes.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'Frost Giant Battle' from 'Thor' and 'Injection' from 'Mission Impossible II'.

* * *

'_It is not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves'_

_- William Shakespeare_

* * *

_'Brothers will fight,_

_bringing Death to each other._

_Sons of sisters_

_will split their kin bonds._

_Hard times for men,_

_rampant depravity,_

_age of axes, age of swords,_

_shields split,_

_wind age, wolf age,_

_until the world falls into ruin.'_

_- The Sibyl's Prophecy, from the Prose Edda_

* * *

They reassembled in a great, wide chamber, deep within the citadel, to find Heimdall awaiting them, clasping Hofud in his hands. His golden eyes latched onto Jane, and held hers intently, and she felt her stomach bottom out at the sorrow and pity in them. She guessed that somehow, somewhere, he was watching Loki being tortured.

Her jaw firmed, and she closed her eyes as the rage inside of her grew strong and fierce, like wildfire. It gave her strength, as the All-Father spoke.

"The dark paths between the Realms are dangerous and easily underestimated," he began, as Thor handed him Gungnir, and they all stood, waiting, listening. "One false move, and we shall all be lost in the pathless shadows between the branches of Yggdrasil. The sword which controls the Bifrost shall act as our anchor, ensuring our return, but we also require a…pathfinder, if you will. Someone to draw us on to our goal."

The All-Father glanced to Jane, and she frowned, as everyone else's eyes followed. "I don't understand?"

"This is the point at which science and magic diverge, Jane Foster, and this is deep magic. Your bond to Loki, wherever he is, is the strongest of us here. Your love for him will be the light which will guide us through the shadows."

He held out a hand to her, grasping Gungnir in the other tightly, and she hesitantly took his gnarled old hand. He was stronger than he looked.

"Stand in a circle around us three," the All-Father commanded the rest, as Heimdall came to stand between Jane and the Aesir. "Link hands, and be ready. The transition will not be pleasant."

Thor, Sif, the Warriors Three, Rila and Baelen all did as they were bid, linking hands tightly, grim looks of determination on their features. Jane could feel their stares boring into her back, as the All-Father raised Gungnir, and closed his eyes, holding Jane's hand tightly with the other. "Close your eyes, daughter of Midgard," he told her quietly. "Focus on Loki. Feel your love and your need for him like a spark, drawing ever closer to the flame which gave it birth. Take us to him."

She frowned, grimacing as she stood for a moment, just feeling stupid, when her entire body felt like it was being crushed from the inside out, her world narrowed to nothing but that crushing sensation. She gasped, and air was forced from her lungs, as the All-Father's hand tightened on her own. She felt his shout in her mind, commanding and insistent.

_**Now, Jane!**_

Frantically calling on all her strength, she did as he'd said, and imagined her love for Loki, as a spark, but as her perceptions beyond her mind faded, she frowned and cocked her head. A spark was not quite right, but more a wave of wildfire being drawn back to the inferno, a thermonuclear furnace of pain, need, darkness and burning light, the heart of a star.

With a gasp, she fell to her knees, held up only by the All-Father's hand around hers, and panted. Smooth metal impacted on her body, and she dimly heard the panting of their companions, forcing her eyelids to open and look up.

"That was well done, Jane," the All-Father breathed, looking weary himself. Jane forced herself upright, her hand going to Laevateinn's hilt, as she took in her surroundings.

They were stood in a small room, dark and claustrophobic except for the large window opposite, through which Jane could see the devastated oceans and beach outside the outer walls of Asgard.

"We did it," she breathed, letting go of the All-Father's hand. Thor came to her side, and she looked to him and spoke quietly. "Is the Tesseract safe?"

She had felt its presence ever since Thor went to fetch it from the Vaults beneath Gladsheim, hot at the back of her mind, like standing close to a fire. It did not try to speak with her, but she felt it all the same, and refrained from reaching out to it with her mind.

"It is," the Thunder God nodded. "Let us hope we do not need to use it."

"You know as well as I do that Thanos is going to need the big guns if we're going to beat him," Jane replied softly. "Somehow, I doubt even Mjolnir and Gungnir, heck even Laevateinn, will be strong enough to stop him."

"We will see," was all Thor said, before they unsheathed their weapons and stole out into the dark corridors of the _Sanctuary_.

* * *

The only corridor led straight from the room they'd arrived in, and when they reached their first intersection, they halted, hesitated.

"Which way?" Sif breathed, looking down one corridor suspiciously. "Should we separate?"

"No," Jane breathed, standing as still as a statue, staring down the opposite corridor with wide eyes. "It's this way. I can feel it. I can feel him."

"It might be Thanos trying to trick us, draw us into a trap," Fandral offered. Jane didn't bother to spare him a glance, just walked away down the corridor with a proud toss of her head.

"This entire ship is a trap," she replied scornfully. "And the only way to get to him is to spring it. Come on!"

They jogged along for a few minutes; the only sound the soft pants of their breathing and the jiggling of armour. "I do not like this," Volstagg muttered. "We should have met at least some sentries or guards by now!"

"I suspect, old friend, that you shall meet all the guards you wish for soon enough," Thor replied softly, with a clap on the giant's shoulder. Eventually, they passed into a cavernous chamber, made up of windows almost entirely but for the door they entered through, and the opposite wall, which led onwards. Above it, a gantry hung, clothed in darkness.

Jane skidded to a halt, as if she'd run into a wall, and gasped. "He's here," she whispered. "Thanos is here. Get ready!"

That coiling sense of tension she'd sensed ever since they arrived turned at once into a rush of pressure and cold, like a striking snake, as from the shadows that clung to the ceiling and walls, dozens of humanoid, metallic creatures dropped or leapt, their limbs ending in savage looking blades and other weapons. The shadows lifted slightly, and Jane looked up to see a great, hulking figure, clothed in gleaming armour and a long, flowing cloak. His eyes glowed red, and his skin was purple and more like to a hide than soft flesh. In one hand, he wielded a great sword, and the other was clenched upon the railing of the gantry.

His laugh echoed around the room, bouncing off the walls, as Jane shuddered and gripped Laevateinn defiantly, feeling her companions shift into defensive positions behind her. "And the final act in our drama draws to its climax," the Titan chuckled, spearing them all with a cold, mocking look. "Did you truly think I would not sense your presence on _**my **_ship? But I see you have brought me the Tesseract and the human woman who took my servant from me. I thank you for that."

"Where is Loki?" Jane shouted, inwardly shaking with rage, but as cold and controlled as ice to the outside world. Thanos chuckled.

"He is much stronger than when he first came into my possession," the Titan laughed. "He resisted for some time before he succumbed to my power, despite his screams. Such delicious suffering! Had he not still served my purposes, I would have made quite the sacrifice of him to my Mistress."

"Where is he!?" Jane cried, levelling Laevateinn at Thanos threateningly.

"You can join him, little human," he replied, his voice dropping into a low, soft tone that cajoled and seduced. "Stand together by my side as I conquer the Universe. You have proven yourself worthy of that, Jane Foster of Earth, Queen Mother of Alfheim. Such fire, such spirit and such darkness. I see the rage in your heart, and it is the match of my own, and of your mate's. We could accomplish such wondrous destruction together, until Death ruled all…"

"Without Life, Death doesn't exist," Jane retorted heatedly. "Now, I'm feeling really annoyed at the moment, and so I'll ask nicely one last time. Where. Is. Loki!?"

The seductive voice disappeared, and Thanos regarded her more coldly now. "Why, your beloved is here," he gestured to the side, and the shadows there, darker than anywhere else, lifted to reveal the figure of a man, bent at the knee and stripped to the waist, hair dark and matted against his neck, body torn and painted with blood, the open wounds glowing an eerie blue Jane recognised all too well.

When he opened his eyes and stood, facing towards them, she gasped. It was Loki, but Loki wholly enslaved by Thanos's power, without so much as a flicker of recognition in his eyes. "It seems my slave's advice was correct after all," Thanos purred, sadistic delight twisting his gargantuan features. "He told me you would come, all of you…the guilty parent, struck down by failure," he nodded to the All-Father, "The little boy, pretending to be King. The warrior maiden, following her master like a kicked puppy, the babbling fools, and the ever-so-loyal Elves of Alfheim. And you…his little human," Thanos turned his gaze back to Jane, malevolently. "The woman who set him free. You will not find it so easy a task this time, Jane Foster. Loki is mine."

"Nope, sorry," Jane replied through gritted teeth. "Loki belongs to me. Go find your own Frost Giant!"

"Enough of this!" Thanos roared, seemingly bored, as he turned to Loki and gestured. "Destroy them all and bring me the Tesseract!"

Without a word, Loki threw himself over the railing, and as if responding to some silent signal, the robots attacked.

* * *

Chaos reigned, and Jane lost sight of her companions during the melee, her sight blurred by silver masks and deadly blades that scythed towards her throat. She ducked and brought Laevateinn up, parrying and dodging agilely, until a pile of silver lay at her feet. She spotted the All-Father and Sif fighting not far away, Gungnir cutting a swathe through the robots as Sif twirled her glaive with the lethality of an experienced warrior.

She heard a scream behind her, and spun to see Rila fall to her knees, speared by a sword through the stomach. _No…_

She felt the death as if she had been killed herself, and almost fell to her knees. She heard Baelen's enraged, grieving scream, and then he too fell, their lives snuffed out in her mind like flames on a candle.

And then she realised the full extent of the curse she now bore. She was linked to the Mother on Alfheim, and just as she was, so were they, and through the Mother, to her. She felt every single death as if it were her own.

Tears fell down her cheeks unchecked, as she spun and threw herself back into the fight, recklessly throwing herself at any robot that dared to so much as look at her. Laevateinn seemed to tear the very air as it absorbed Jane's rage and grief, the runes inscribed on its blade burning.

Panting, she forced herself to stop and breathe, her grief dying slightly as she made herself remember the reason why she'd led them here. Loki.

Turning, she frantically searched the chaos for a flash of blue and white, and felt her heart stop as she found him. He was fighting Thor; he was fighting his brother and _**winning**_.

Thor could not bring himself to harm his brother, for this Loki was not the same creature they'd fought in New York. That Loki had been driven by his own will, albeit a misguided one, but this Loki…this Loki was but a puppet of Thanos, his body controlled by the will of the Titan, any trace of her lover caged away where he could not fight. He was even more a slave than Barton or James had ever been.

Loki wielded a long, metallic looking spear, and with a thrill of horror, Jane watched it curve around the handle of Mjolnir and tear it from Thor's grip, sending the mighty hammer flying across the deck, as Thor fell to his knees. Everyone stopped, watching with wide-eyed horror, all too far away and too occupied with their own fights to help their King. Except for Jane.

Gripping Laevateinn, she willed her tired legs to move, the muscles screaming with pain and exhaustion. Unlike the Aesir, she was still mostly mortal and not even the power of the Mother was helping her here.

She threw herself past battling Aesir and robots, her heart in her throat, as she saw Loki raise his weapon, those blue eyes glowing all the brighter, as Thor smiled a smile of resignation and wistful love. "Brother…" he whispered, just as Loki brought the blade of his spear whistling down, towards Thor's neck…

* * *

And _clanged _as it hit the flat of Laevateinn's blade. Jane was panting and blinking sweat from her eyes, as she met the cold, blank eyes of her opponent. "Thor, get away!" she hissed to the blonde Aesir, never taking her eyes off of Loki. "This is not your fight. This one is mine."

Loki smiled savagely, but it was the deathly, cruel smile of Thanos, not the man she loved. She forced his spear up, spinning away and into guard position as he came after her. It took every ounce of skill and quick-thinking Jane possessed to stay ahead of him, her limbs burning and shaking with every blow, ignoring the cries of her name as she was forced back, but as she looked into the mocking eyes of Thanos, watching from above, her resolve hardened and with a resigned sigh, she closed her eyes and opened the cage door to her darker self, the warrior who had killed the Other without thought or mercy.

She needed her now.

When she opened her eyes, they burned coldly, the darkness in her midnight blue eye threatening to burst forth and consume everything, while the other sparked into a full wildfire, reflecting her rage and her desperation. She regarded him now, not as her Loki, as her lover or the father of her child. He was her enemy, and he must be taken down.

With new strength, she forced him back, ducking and parrying his blows, using her size and agility to get beneath his guard, using her fists and feet as much as the blade of her sword. The air sparked with the ferocity of their fight, and though Jane possessed no magic, that same power that had always dwelt within her, that defeated the darkness and brought Loki back from the abyss, flared and strengthened within her, steeling her sinews and her resolve.

It seemed even with Thanos's will driving him, Loki could grow tired. His wounds, still open and wide, bled freely and she imagined it was causing the true soul of Loki, buried deep inside, such agony that he couldn't focus enough to throw off Thanos's control. And she doubted somehow that a kiss would be enough to do it, this time.

With a fierce cry, she slipped Laevateinn beneath Loki's guard, slicing through the shaft of the spear, and kicked him back. She came on, teeth gritted; as he pulled himself to his knees and then just…stopped.

As if he was waiting for something. For her…

_Enough! Kill him!_

_**Something isn't right. This isn't right…**_

Jane's mind waged war, as she levelled the point of her blade at Loki's throat, feeling everyone's eyes on her, and the eyes of one being in particular, and she could feel him urging her on. _**Thanos wants me to do this…**_

_And what if he does? Loki himself told you to kill him if he went too far. He is lost, destroy him!_

Her darker side raged and fought, but Jane's mind regained control as she stared with horrified realisation at Loki._** Ragnarok…this is what the prophecies meant. If I kill Loki now, I might avert his Ragnarok but I will take his place. My grief and my rage will make me destroy everything and not even Aoife would be enough to stop me…**_

She could feel the pulse of the Tesseract nearby, and shuddered at its temptation.

_**I'm right, aren't I? **_She asked it, stretching her mind out to it gently. _**If I do this, I will become the one who destroys everything.**_

_You have become wise, Jane Foster,_ it answered, soft and gentle in her mind. _And in your wisdom, you have both strength and power enough to make even I fall to your will. Such self-knowledge comes with a price…_

Inwardly, Jane trembled and fought, for any other way, any other course of action. As she stared down at him, her mind, heavy and slow with exhaustion and pain, slowly resolved. There was only one way left, one way to set Loki free and avert the destruction of everything. This was her, averting Ragnarok, this was her choice…

With a snarl, she shook her head and threw Laevateinn to the ground, stepping back and raising her arms challengingly. "If you can hear me, Loki, know this," she whispered, with a defiant glance at Thanos. "I love you and I'm sorry. Because this is the only other way I can accept."

Loki cocked his head to the side, as if he recognised her, and she felt hope rise, but then Thanos raised his hand and Loki lunged for Laevateinn.

The sound Laevateinn made as it pierced the flesh of her midriff, shearing through armour and leather, flesh and bone, was reminiscent of a key in a lock. It slid snugly into her with a _snick_, as it twisted, rupturing her stomach and piercing her back. It drew a moan of pain from her lips, as she slumped, the sword the only thing holding her upright, as she stared up at the man she loved. Her murderer.

She raised one, trembling, blood-stained hand to his cheek, smiling a pained, forgiving smile, as he blinked, his eyes wide as he stared at her. "Jane?" he breathed, as the blue leached from his eyes, and Thanos roared with rage.

"NO!"

* * *

Jane's consciousness was unravelling, the pain in her body all-consuming, as Loki's eyes filled with terrified, horrified realisation. "JANE!?"

She was dimly aware of voices shouting, her name being called in tones of fear and shock, as she was slowly lowered to the floor, Loki's arms cradling her, as the blue light in his eyes and his body faded entirely, and then he was there, he was back. Her Loki.

"Jane, what have you done?" Loki breathed, stroking back the loose hair from her face, before running his hands frantically over her stomach, Laevateinn still protruding from her body. "My love, what have you done!?"

"The only…way I could…accept," she gasped out, gritting her teeth against the pain. A blur of scarlet and gold knelt next to her head, as another hand gripped her free one. "Thor…the Tesseract…we need it now."

"Jane, how could you be so stupid?" Loki hissed. "I told you to kill me!"

"We haven't…got time to argue this now…" Jane panted, writhing slightly against the pain. "You need…to take him down. Stop Thanos…God, can we get this thing out of me, it's hurting me!?"

They all stilled, as Jane's eyes widened. "We can't take it out, Jane," Sif whispered. "You will bleed to death when we take it out."

Jane sighed and slumped back, Loki's hand frantically clutching her face. "Jane? Jane, look at me, my love. Stay with me, don't you dare leave me!"

"I might…have…to," she whimpered, taking hold of his hand and whispering softly. "You have to go, Loki. Only you can wield the Tesseract now….and destroy him…you, your father and your brother…I've played my part….I averted Ragnarok…Now it's up to you…"

"I will tear the Universe apart if you die," Loki growled savagely, but Jane shook her head.

"You're so much stronger than…that, than me, Loki. You have to be here….for our daughter, for our little one…" Jane gasped and gritted her teeth against the pain. "Promise me, Loki!"

"I promise," he breathed, as if he'd been stabbed himself.

Jane closed her eyes and smiled. "Now go. Take him down," she told him, quiet and peaceful. "Come back to me afterwards…"

"I will stay with her, Loki," Sif breathed. "You, Thor and the All-Father must go."

"We will stay and guard her until your return," Fandral assured him, as Thor nodded, and stood.

Loki pressed a kiss to Jane's pale lips, before he stood and forced himself to stand tall. Thor held out the Tesseract, retrieving it from a pocket in his cloak, enchanted and created from the magic of both the All-Father and Frigg herself.

Loki took the burning cube gingerly, as its light engulfed him, and armour trickled up his bare arms, covering his wounds and his markings, healing them, as an emerald green cloak unfolded and rippled down from his shoulders, his head covered by a familiar golden pronged helmet.

The Tesseract morphed into a long, bladed staff like the one he had carried on Earth, and he nodded grimly to Thor and the All-Father. They turned and began to sprint away, in the direction Thanos had fled after Jane was stabbed, and Loki lingered only to take one last look at Jane, trembling with pain on the floor, but her mismatched eyes clear and steady.

Feeling his heart break anew, he turned away, grim determination and purpose steeling his heart. Thanos would pay for this.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	17. Power Of Three

Veritas

Warnings: Violence.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'There Is A God In You' from 'Clash of the Titans' and 'Thor Kills The Destroyer' from 'Thor'.

* * *

_'Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.'_

_- Abraham Lincoln_

* * *

Loki was having a really bad day. Being tortured and turned into a slave didn't exactly rank highly on his list of favourite things to do, but waking up from the pain only to see his lover's pained, anguished face, her body slumped bonelessly against his own and looking down to see his own hand on the hilt of the sword impaling her….he couldn't have imagined a worse pain, or a hotter rage, burning within him.

And she had done it herself! That was the worst of it; she'd had him at her mercy and despite what he had told her, she had all but invited him to stab her. Hadn't she understood that Thanos was without mercy, and so was he, while under his control? But it wasn't mercy Jane had expected from him, she'd confessed it herself. Now, she knew he'd hurt her, and she welcomed it as the only other way to set him free without killing him. He was angry enough to just destroy everything in his path, enemy and ally alike. Only Jane's soft plea had checked him and brought him back to reason.

But at least that rage now had a target, an outlet. He would make Thanos rue the day he was born for what happened to Jane.

_Do you truly believe you can defeat me, Laufeyson? You are weak and powerless…_

Thanos's voice echoed tauntingly through the ship as they ran on, Loki ignoring the concerned, sideway glances from his father and brother. His face grew grimmer with every taunt, every mocking jibe about his character, his weaknesses. Thanos had probed the darkest aspect of his nature, and he used his knowledge liberally now, dissecting his character and attacking his strength.

But Thanos had underestimated him. Whereas before, such a strategy might have slowed him, weakened him, made him pause; now he blocked him out, focussed only on finding him, using his strategy to further his own by tracking the echoes through the ship, taking down any Chitauri or machine that stood in their way.

Finally they were forced to halt, as they came to a junction in the corridors, with three different corridors leading from the one they stood in. Loki gritted his teeth, growling in frustration, as they were forced to hesitate.

He didn't have the time for this; _**Jane **_didn't have time for this.

_She's fading fast, Loki, Death will take her soon…_

_He saw her, lying on the floor of the observation deck where they'd left her, surrounded by Sif, Fandral and Volstagg, the latter standing guard while Sif gripped Jane's pale hand and entreated her to hold on…_

_You could not even protect her, what strength do you possess to destroy me?_

_Her chest laboured in her restrictive armour, and her lids fluttered in her fight to remain conscious._

"Loki?"

_Pain glowed in her mismatched eyes, and she fought to breathe, blood drying and crusting on the blade of Laevateinn, the runes on its surface dull as its bearer struggled to cling on to Life._

"LOKI!"

Loki jumped as a bearlike hand landed on his shoulder, jolting him from his nightmare, and he was dragged round to face Thor, face hard and pinched with weariness and pain, the All-Father watching from a few paces away. Thor's eyes searched his, and they softened, as he smiled encouragingly. "She is not dead, Loki. We can save her but Thanos must be taken care of first. Do not believe whatever he is telling you, Brother…"

"When did you become the smart one?" he breathed, making Thor grin mirthlessly.

"All thanks to you, brother of mine," he retorted, "Now, let's go get him!"

"For once in our lives, brother," Loki breathed, "I am in full agreement with you."

"Thanos's power lies in his ability to weaken you," the All-Father suddenly spoke up, joining them as he firmly held their gazes. "I once had brothers, and when we fought as one, we could not be matched. Together, we cannot be defeated. Join with me now, sons of my flesh and my heart. Join and combine our power!"

He held out his hands, power radiating off of him in waves, as Loki and Thor tentatively clasped his wrists with a hand of their own, Loki watching his foster father suspiciously. Suddenly, the strength of Thor and Odin flowed into him, all the might of Gungnir and Mjolnir became his, and he gasped, for within the power of the All-Father existed three life-forces, Odin's own and the life-force of his dead brothers, slain long before Loki and Thor were born.

He opened his eyes, unaware he had closed them, and nodded, a new understanding filling him as he met the eyes of Thor and the All-Father. They shone with power, as he knew his own did too, and Thor smiled.

"I never understood, I never realised…" he breathed, to Loki. "Your magic…forgive my ignorance, brother."

"Forgiven, now," Loki smirked evilly. "I think we have a Titan to destroy."

* * *

Merging his power with his father and brother was a heady experience, one he had to fight to focus through, as the sheer incredible feeling was enough to overwhelm him. He remembered his loneliness, his feelings of isolation and resentment for being overlooked, and how unimportant they all seemed, even more so, with the shocking scarlet red and the steady eternal gold of his brother and father's power suffusing him, mixing in with the burning emerald green of his own. He saw them, as distinct colours, in his mind, on that plane of perception that was only open to those that possessed magic and could sense the dance of the Universe.

Thoughts flew as easily as words would, decisions and arguments made and argued with the speed of a second. Without any more hesitation, they ran on through the shadows of the _Sanctuary_, one goal, one thought binding their new union. Thanos.

The Titan threw increasing numbers of robots at them as they drew closer to the bridge, but nothing could break the focus of the three Aesir, their magic and physical might bound into one unstoppable force. They left lifeless skeletons of silver and steel behind them, as they strode, undaunted, through the final doorway, and onto the command bridge of the _Sanctuary_, where Thanos awaited, with nowhere else left to run.

He towered over them all, and even as he roared with anger and brought his great sword crashing down on their heads, Loki and Odin conjured a shimmering golden shield that echoed as the blade hit it, the sound reverberating through the room like a monstrous bell. Mjolnir spun in Thor's hand, and he let it fly with a roar, the mighty hammer careering towards Thanos's head and striking him at the jaw, snapping his head back. He reeled and regained his footing, rage burning in his eyes.

Sweat glistened on both Loki and the All-Father's foreheads as Thanos struck them again, as this time, even with their full power, the Titan's blade rebounded off their shield but still broke it into glistening shards that evaporated into the shadows.

With a shared mental nod, Thor rushed forward, wielding Mjolnir as both Loki and the All-Father used their magic and the power of their staffs to distract and weaken Thanos. The combined power of the Tesseract, Gungnir and the Odinpower rushed through them like a wave of light, their armour flashing and their eyes gradually losing their colour, overcome by a shade of bright gold.

But it still was not enough. Despite Thor's strength, Odin's power and Loki's magic, even the combined might of Mjolnir, Gungnir and the Tesseract, could not fatally harm the almost invulnerable Titan. They destroyed his sword, he came at them with his crushing strength and brutality, their limbs breaking and reforming as quickly as he attacked them.

Finally, though, he succeeded in breaking their focus, as he caught them off-guard and drove his fist into them, sending all three Aesir flying backwards, landing heavily on their backs as the bond joining their minds wavered and their power diverged once more. Loki felt himself alone in his mind and body, and gasped for breath, his every cell aching.

He looked up at Thanos, standing and waiting for their next move, his mien that of the cat playing with the mice before the final pounce. Death waited for him in those eyes.

"You are losing, Laufeyson," he called tauntingly, before he cocked his head. "Although I suppose you are truly a son of Odin for all the foolish resistance you have shown today. Despite all you know, all you learned at my hand, you still fight the inevitable. Death will come, for Asgard, for the Aesir, and for your weak little human. You cannot stop me."

"Oh, you are wrong there," Loki smiled, glancing away mockingly, his gaze landing on the Tesseract, now thrown back into its most basic form, that of a glowing cube, and reached for it, its power burning his hand. He stood, and faced Thanos again, glancing surreptitiously at Thor and Odin, who both forced themselves to their feet. Thoughts of Jane and Aoife filled his head, and his smile grew dark and predatory. If Thanos could not be killed, then he would make sure he could harm no one else as long as his cursed existence endured. "You are so wrong if you think any human to be weak, least of all Jane Foster. The woman who defeated the mighty Thanos for the soul of one wretched creature? She is so high above you, you cannot comprehend her!"

Thanos merely laughed scornfully, as Thor readied himself, and Odin gripped Gungnir. "I will have the Tesseract, Odinson," Thanos called tauntingly. "And your pathetic little mortal isn't here to stop me this time."

"The Tesseract belongs to no one," Loki replied firmly, looking down at the shining cube, feeling her power in his head. She knew his plans and approved them reluctantly. "But if you want it, catch!"

Loki threw the Tesseract high in the air, ignoring Thanos's confused cry, as he looked to his companions. "Now!"

Thor threw Mjolnir, just as the All-Father let loose a single blast from Gungnir, hitting the mighty hammer and powering it towards the Tesseract. The hammer absorbed the power of the Staff for a moment, and it shattered the casing that held the power of the Tesseract contained, unable to escape, unable to be free.

* * *

Loki closed his eyes in acceptance and determination, as the power within formed a shapeless, white cloud, and it slowly settled onto him. His skin shone, his body strengthened and he seemed to go a thousand feet even as his stature remained unchanged, as the power of the Universe crackled in his fingertips. When he opened his eyes, they were those of a true God, ruthless and unyielding, focussed only on his purpose as he stretched out one hand to Thanos.

"NO!" Thanos yelled, just as the-creature-that-was-once-Loki blasted away one wall of the bulkhead with a lazy wave of his hand, and with his mind, he gathered all the mass from the nebulae that drifted across the Asgardian skyline, building and building it until an infant star began to form, right in front of them. With a flick of his hand, both the ship and Asgard was shielded from the growing heat so close to it, but the Chitauri fleet was not so fortunate. Within minutes, they burned and their mass was only added to the whole.

When it was ready, the-creature-that-was-once-Loki contracted his hand and the star crushed itself inwards, in and in and in, until it became only a darkness within another darkness, an endless, tormented hole in the fabric of the Universe, the gravity creating a fierce, tugging wind that taxed even the shields he had erected to protect his companions.

He looked on his work and smiled. A fitting end for the servant of Death. With an indolent hand gesture, he turned to Thanos, who stared at him with impotent rage, paralysed by the power of the Tesseract now embodied in a flesh form. He rose up and into the airless void, and his teeth were bared, a reflection of both the fierceness of his true identity and the grim satisfaction of the power possessing him as victory approached.

"You wished for a lifeless eternity? I grant that wish, but you will never know the embrace of your mistress. Farewell, Thanos," he called over the roaring wind, as he brought his hands together, palms out, and pushed.

Thanos flew backwards with a scream, the black hole the-creature-that-was-Loki had created sucking him in inexorably, until he was barely a blot against the darkness greedily eating up the few remnants of the Chitauri ships and warriors that had not burned during its birth.

The-creature-that-was-Loki marvelled in the power he held as he closed the black hole behind Thanos, drawing it in, tighter and tighter, until it fed upon itself and dissipated forever, the work of millennia achieved in minutes. The wind ceased, the bridge protected once more by a magic force shield, as he turned to the ravaged coastline of Asgard below. He reached out, and drew forth the sparks of life that remained, buried deeply in the soil and the rock upon which the city was built, and the oceans reformed and the city restored itself, all the scars and marks of war healed.

* * *

"Loki?" two familiar voices called his name, and he remembered it belonged to him. He had forgotten it when the Tesseract had settled within him, and with it came a whole gamut of memories and emotions, few of them pleasant. There was sadness and anger and bitterness, a hatred so deep it choked him, but then the image of a radiant creature with skin like silk and hair like burnished copper pervaded his consciousness, sweeping them all away, until the most painful and wondrous feeling of all alone remained.

The power sizzled and simmered within his veins like a poison now, threatening to flare and burn him from the inside out, and his head ached. This power was not for him, was never for him. With a deep breath, he exhaled, and with it released the power in his veins, feeling a wrench deep in his soul. To have glimpsed such terrifying and marvellous power, to have seen and known all of Time and Space, to have felt the very atoms of the Universe and every Universe in his hands, was almost more than he could bear to lose but he let it go. It was not what he wanted, and such power was not meant to be used and trapped. It needed to be free, so all could be safe from it.

The glow left his skin, the power within him fading to his own level, and the colour of his eyes once more became the brilliant green Thor had always known, as he stared worriedly at his brother, the All-Father watching concernedly.

With a shake of the head and a blink, Loki opened his eyes, as if awakening from a long and deep slumber, and smiled slowly. "It is done."

"What of the Tesseract?" Thor asked, as Loki moved slowly, his gestures and voice seeming changed. A little of the Tesseract's glow clung to his skin still, and he sensed that a part of his brother's mind was still afar from them.

"It is gone. She is free," Loki replied softly. "It is better this way. Now, no one may have such power again."

Thor had to admit that was not a bad thing. To witness the way Loki had used the power, without thought or practice, so effortless and cold, had frightened him. He had known fear before, more times than he had cared to admit to anyone, but in those terrifying few moments, Loki had seemed beyond them all, a power that could reshape or annihilate the Universe at whim. Two years ago, perhaps he would have, but it was a testament anew to the changes in him and the incredible influence of Jane, that little mortal that had run over an Aesir Prince in the desert and fought to see the stars.

"Ever you seek new ways to disrupt the old order, Loki," the All-Father remarked wryly, from behind them, as he leaned heavily on Gungnir, seemingly wearied beyond all of them.

"Only when needs must…Father," Loki replied softly but firmly. "That much power was not meant to be confined to one being or a prison like the cube. Now she is gone and free, and we will see what the future holds."

"Not gone completely," Odin smiled, with such love and pride in his eyes, as he looked at his two battle-worn sons, who had come so far and achieved more than he ever dreamed, even if it was not in the way he had planned. "That kind of power leaves marks, as you well know, my son. I suspect a little of the power lingers in you still, mingling with your own. Use it well."

"I will try not to use it at all," Loki replied, with an answering mischievous smirk, until he raised his head, the blood draining from it as he frowned. "Jane!"

Remembering the injured woman, Loki and Thor rushed away, the All-Father following behind rather slower, the ruined bridge silent and empty as a tomb.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	18. Rebirth

Veritas

Warnings: none

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'A Howling Wilderness' and 'Elizabeth Arrives at Court' from 'The Tudors: Season 3'.

* * *

_'So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.'_

_- Gandalf the Grey, Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring_

* * *

Jane's world mostly comprised of pain, and lots of it. She had thought that childbirth was bad enough, but this was on a whole other level. The sword sticking out of her gut sent waves of red-hot agony pulsing through her abdomen every time she exhaled, and her jaw ached from gritting her teeth against screams.

She heard loud roaring, and then terrifying explosions, somewhere beyond the limited range of her sight, partially obscured by Sif's waves of dark hair brushing against her face. Two people tightly held her hands, quiet voices exhorting her to hold on, to stay with them, and that Loki was coming.

She heard thundering footsteps, then an inchoate cry, as her hands were released and a new shadow now loomed over her, kneeling by her side and cradling her in his arms. Loki.

Somehow, she found the strength to speak. "Is it done?" she murmured brokenly. "Is he gone?"

"Gone forever, my love," he assured her, his arms tight around her, providing a more effective anchor to reality, painful as it was, than either Sif or Fandral had been. "You need to hold on now, Jane. We're going to get you to the Healers, and then we can go home. You, me and Aoife."

A choked laugh tore itself from Jane's cracked lips, as she shook her head. "And you called me an…optimist," she whispered. "I'm not sure this is…something even you lot…can fix. A sword through…the gut, it's pretty final…even for immortals."

"Loki," she continued, urgently now, as she felt the pain building even as a new sense of numbness began to spread up her legs. "You need…to know. I promised Rila…that if they did not…come back, we would care for…little Aeslin. Promise me…you will care for her as much…as Aoife. That…you won't leave them, that they'll always have their father to…love and protect them…Promise me!"

"Jane, you must not think such things," he protested gently, tears sparkling in his beloved emerald eyes. His hand stroked her sweaty hair back, feeling the chill of her skin. "You will live, my love. I swear it."

"Then swear this, also," Jane gasped, stroking his face, and pressing his hand to her lips. "Promise me you will take…care of our daughters if I don't…make it. Promise me!" her eyes burned like coals, filled with desperation, as he nodded.

"I swear it," he breathed, his lungs constricting as if caught in a vice. His magic roiled and rippled within him furiously, yearning to be set free, but he could not heal this. And he had promised her he would not leave the children, that he would not give into his darker nature if she died. He had promised, and so he could only hold her, feeling useless and pathetic, as her body weakened. If only he had kept the full power of the Tesseract for just a moment longer, if only she were as strong as he, and Thor, if only…

An idea blossomed in his mind, even as Jane's hands left his face to fall to the blade puncturing her midriff, and she pulled it from her with the last of her strength, crying out in agony. Fresh waves of hot blood spilled over her hands and abdomen, and she could already feel herself weakening. With the final tithe of strength she possessed, she released Laevateinn, dimly aware of its clatter as it hit the ground beside her, and reached for Loki. "That's…much better," she murmured, jokingly, even as her voice choked "I love you…my Loki."

Her breathing stuttered, and her mismatched eyes widened, even as Loki clutched her closer. "Jane…no!" he breathed, but she was gone, her body bereft of the fire that gave it life, as it slumped in Loki's arms. "No!"

Immediately, he turned to the All-Father, clutching Gungnir as it were his lifeline, ignoring Thor with his arm around Sif, her proud head bowed, looking past Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg, not meeting their pitying glances, as he focused desperately on their last hope. "Father…please," he breathed. "You have the power; please…bring her back to me."

"Loki," Odin sighed, as he gently paced to his adopted son's side, kneeling beside him as he cradled the lifeless body of his beloved. "Her spirit has passed on, to Valhalla. It is too late."

"No, it isn't. You've done it before, when the Destroyer killed Thor," Loki retorted accusingly.

"That was different. Mjolnir restored Thor to life because he proved himself worthy of his former power. Jane Foster had no such test to pass," the All-Father replied, compassionately.

"If you made her an Aesir," Sif suddenly spoke up, to everyone's surprise, not least Loki's. He did not think they liked one another, after their little catfight in the throne room. How long ago it seemed! "She has done and seen more than any test, she was never fully human to begin with, and she bore Laevateinn. Is it not possible, All-Father?"

Odin sighed, turning back to Jane and reaching out with the very tip of Gungnir, placing it above Jane's heart. "You will need to call to her, my son," he told Loki. "Call her home, for Valhalla does not give up its warriors easily."

The atmosphere seemed to grow, tense and electric, as the All-Father gathered his full strength. Only a bare handful of individuals had _**become** _Aesir, and none of them had been dead during the transition. He could not be sure this would work.

Nonetheless, she had proven herself worthy. He would try, for the sake of the loved ones she left behind.

Loki softly chanted Jane's name, tears falling down his cheeks unchecked now, as he bent over her, silent and still, as a golden glow began to emit from the point of Gungnir's blade, and the two frozen tears Loki had cried, dropped from his jaw and landed on Jane's cheek.

He was forced to let her go, as some invisible force plucked her from his arms and raised her into the air, so she floated above them all, hair flowing in some unseen wind, arms outstretched, as the golden glow that had spread over her heart now spread further, washing over her arms and her legs, finally covering her head until she looked like she had been immersed in gold leaf. Loki glanced to the All-Father, standing uncertainly beside him, as his jaw gaped in wonder. He had never seen a mortal turned Aesir before, and the experience was awe-inspiring.

Hope bloomed in his dark, withered heart, and he called Jane's name with renewed ferocity and certainty. Dimly, he was aware of the others joining in, calling her name too, as the golden light grew to a great orb, surrounding Jane's body entirely.

"Come back to us, Daughter of Midgard," the All-Father called softly. "Come back to us and join us in eternity."

Jane's eyes snapped open, and she dragged in a great breath, as the wound on her midriff sealed and disappeared, as if it had never been. Her old armour melted away, leaving her almost naked except for the golden light still emanating from Gungnir, as new armour took its place, trickling up her arms like a shower of silver and gold, covering her legs and torso, as a midnight blue cloak rippled from her shoulders. Laevateinn disappeared from where it lay, bloodied and dull on the floor of the observation deck, and rematerialized, clean and bright, in the sheath that hung from Jane's sword belt. Her eyes, until then glowing as gold as the orb she was enclosed in, returned to their mismatched glory, burning as brightly as a flame, dark as the night sky.

"Jane!" Loki called her name one last time, as she closed her eyes again and slowly sank to the floor, landing in a graceful heap on the metal, as the golden light faded and the All-Father's strength waned. He rushed to her, catching her up, ignoring the hard press of her new armour, Aesir merged with Elven, the silver and gold intermixed with blue like the scales of some magnificent dragon. Impatiently, he looked for some sign of life, holding his tarnished bracer to her lips.

Nothing and then…there!

Fog on its dull surface. She was alive!

"It is done," Odin pronounced wearily. "She will need to rest, until she is ready to emerge into her new life. You must be patient."

Loki cared not. His Jane was alive, and that was all he cared about. He looked up, just as a new thought entered his mind, and his eye was cold as he looked on the All-Father now.

"Why did you not do this for her before? You knew the trials she faced, both living on Alfheim and carrying Aoife. Why now?" he asked, fiercely, ignoring Thor and Sif as they made sounds of protest.

"She had not proven herself worthy of the gift," the All-Father replied calmly. "She had to prove not only her physical stamina and strength, but also the courage to sacrifice herself for you, and then to bind you with a promise, to prevent Ragnarok and the ending of the Universe, as you know you would have done otherwise in your grief and fury. She has proven herself."

"She survived me when I was Thanos's puppet, fought Chitauri, defied and became a fugitive from her own people, left her home, followed me into exile, fought and defeated the darkness of Alfheim, bore my child and then brought an entire army to Asgard's aid, and only now you decide she is worthy!?" Loki growled, furiously. "You have a skewed view of what is worthy, old man!"

"That is enough, brother!" Thor cut across their argument firmly, clapping Loki's shoulder. "Jane is alive, that is enough for now. Let us go home."

Just then, the All-Father collapsed and Gungnir clattered to the floor. They all rushed to him, even Loki as he cradled Jane, and Thor felt for his pulse. "He is alive, it is the Odinsleep," he pronounced. "The battle and restoring Jane must have been too much for his strength."

"We must get him back to Asgard. Both of them," Hogun replied quietly.

"How did you get here, anyway?" Loki asked.

"The pathways between realities. You are not the only one who knows them, Brother," Thor explained, with a wicked smirk over his worried frown. Loki chuckled.

"Come, then, if you do not mind another jaunt," he held out his free hand, clasping Thor's as he hefted the All-Father, Sif and the others clinging on in turn. Grasping Jane closer, he closed his eyes, gathering his magic, and stepped into the void between worlds. Immediately, he felt the power of the anchor they'd used to travel on the pathless void, and latched onto it, letting it drag them home.

* * *

Frigg, the Lady Eir and her healers, Mage Lady Alona, Healer Nirie, Lords Knaven, Hafnell and Danen, and Heimdall, awaited them when the meeting room just off the hall of Gladsheim, and they rushed forward with a cry at the sight of the All-Father and Jane, unconscious. Then the Elves saw the lifeless bodies of Rila and Baelen, brought back with the others thanks to Odin's power, and a great mourning cry went up. Frigg looked up from where she knelt by Odin's prone form, Thor cradling his father's body.

"What happened?" Alona asked Loki, tears in her eyes as Nirie searched for lifesigns, her eyes on Jane.

"Rila and Baelen fell fighting Thanos's forces," he explained, meeting her grieving eyes. "I am sorry for their deaths."

"It is as they, no doubt, would have suspected. They knew the risks following the Queen Mother here, we all did," Alona breathed, looking down, vulnerable and fighting back tears. Immediately, Loki knew more had happened during their fight aboard the _Sanctuary_.

"What is it? What more has happened?" he asked urgently.

"Before the cataclysm tore apart the fleet, they attacked and breached the defences once more. Many fell before we could repair the breach, Kaila, Baelen's sister, among them," Alona explained, haltingly, and Loki looked away.

"I am sorry all the more for that. She was too young," he murmured. After a moment's silence, as the Healers fluttered around their group, checking for wounds, Alona spoke again.

"What of the Queen Mother?"

"She was fatally wounded, and….she died. Only the All-Father's intervention saved her," he breathed, the pain slicing through him anew. _But she is alive, _he told himself. _She came back to him._ "Where is our daughter?" he asked, filled with the urge to hold her again. It felt like centuries since he had last held her, or felt her raven curls under his hand.

"She is in my chambers, Loki," Frigg called over, as they prepared to move their patients to the Healing rooms, and the dead to a suitable resting place until they could be mourned properly. Aesir magic would preserve them until then. "I will fetch her when Jane is taken care of."

* * *

Although Loki had been healed by the power of the Tesseract, Eir still insisted on examining him. He refused to let Jane out of his sight, however, and now sat in the Healing room where she lay, her armour removed, her hair and body washed and clothed, the copper tresses laid out on the white pillow like golden strings.

He had not seen Thor or the others since they had left the meeting room. He suspected they were with the All-Father, and did not begrudge their absence. Aoife would soon be there, and so all Loki truly needed was in the room with him. Except for Eir, but he could put up with the annoyance patiently if it meant she left quicker. He just wanted to be alone with Jane, and their daughter, when she awoke.

Sadly, he thought of their losses, the people who had died for them. The final attack had cost them dear, and many houses in Asgard now mourned the loss of a loved one. The Elves too had lost many, and he truly felt sadness over that. But that would be nothing to what Jane felt, both as the Queen Mother of Alfheim and privately. She would need him, in the time of mourning to come.

Once again, he contemplated the extraordinary woman lying, peacefully sleeping, in the bed beside him, barely stirring under Eir's hands as she left him alone and performed one final examination of Jane. She truly was remarkable, to have weathered so much strife and danger, and to come out of it all the stronger for her sufferings…he had never deserved her. And now, she was truly stronger for it. To all intents and purposes, she was now Aesir, the final lingering traces of her mortality, but not her humanity, stamped out, washed away by the golden power of Gungnir. All but invulnerable, as strong and fast as he, his match now in body as well as in mind, heart and soul. Finally a form to match the fire of the spirit within. No mortal could have been more worthy than her. His Jane.

It still rankled that the All-Father had never thought to do this before now, but his words about Ragnarok and Jane proving herself worthy of the power he'd bestowed on her sounded all too like his adopted father. Unfortunately, the Odinsleep had been all too insistent this time, just like last time. It was turning into quite the habit.

* * *

Just then, the doors opened and Frigg and Thor appeared, the latter leading a small, dark-haired figure by the hand. His heart leapt in his chest, as Aoife suddenly cried out, laughing and so innocently joyous, as she lunged across the room to him. He opened his arms and held her close, burying his face in her dark curls.

"Knew you'd come back. Grandmamma said!" Aoife pronounced triumphantly. "Mamma would save you, and Uncle Thor and Aunt Sif. Why is Mamma sleeping?"

"She fought very hard and is very tired, my little one," Loki explained, once she deigned to stop strangling him with her strong little arms around his neck. He placed her on his lap, holding her firmly around her waist, as they leant forward, watching Jane as Eir drew near to finishing her examinations. "We must be quiet until she wakes up, yes?"

Aoife nodded her head solemnly, as she clambered onto the bed, escaping her father's grasp and lying down next to Jane, nestling against her shoulder. Eir exchanged a soft smile with Loki, before drawing her hands over Jane's abdomen. And stopped, frowning.

Meanwhile, Loki had turned his attention to Frigg and Thor, both of whom stood and watched their little family scene with pleased grins. "How is Father?" Loki asked, coolly.

"Deep in the Odinsleep," Frigg replied, with a reproachful look that Loki returned, unrepentant. "Restoring Jane was too much for him, after the strain of the battle with Thanos. It may be some time before he awakens again."

"Your reproach was too harsh, Brother," Thor added, his face softening as he looked on Aoife. "You always did possess a sharp tongue, too sharp for comfort."

"He purposefully put Jane's life in danger, and indirectly Aoife's, just so she could prove her worth according to _**his **_standards?" Loki scoffed quietly. "Forgive me if I was a touch irate, particularly after the strain of bearing the Tesseract's power and my brief enslavement, not to mention waking up to find I had stabbed my own lover. Tell me, Thor, what would you have done in my place?"

Thor sighed, rolling his eyes. "As you know very well, I would most likely have tried to pulverise him with Mjolnir. Once again, Brother, you are my superior in restraint," he replied, with a mocking edge that Loki returned, reminding them of their youth.

"As in many things, Brother, as in many things," he purred, just as Frigg reached out, slapping them both softly on the shoulder.

"Oh stop it, both of you!" she scolded them exasperatedly. "Both acting like young boys again."

Just then, Eir stood, gracefully interrupting their conversation with a respectful bow. "I have concluded my examinations," she informed them, stepping to the side, with a knowing smile. "She is completely healthy, albeit tired and weakened by her ordeal. It will take but a little while before her new Aesir physiognomy takes hold and she will awaken again."

"That is excellent news!" Thor boomed happily, but Eir held her hand up for silence.

"There is also the matter of the child she is carrying," she breathed, making everyone in the room bar the sleeping Jane freeze with shock. "She is but a month along, but I can already feel the child's magic and vitality, and it is strong. I would surmise that the child has suffered no lasting ill effects from the Queen Mother's ordeal."

"She's pregnant!?" Loki breathed, as Aoife stared at him with wide, puzzled eyes. "She's going to have another child?"

"Yes. Congratulations, my Prince," Eir smiled, her eyes twinkling, as Frigg drew her aside to exchange a quick whispered conversation, as Thor met Aoife's questioning eyes.

"You're to have a baby brother or sister soon, Aoife!" he told her, looking almost excited as he thought she should be. "Are you not pleased?"

Aoife cocked her head, glancing to her mother, lying comatose before her, then to Loki, before shrugging her shoulders. "Does this mean I can play with them?" she asked, plaintively. Thor nodded solemnly, and she perked up. "Well, that's alright then."

Loki looked at her, still in shock, and decided not to mention Aeslin, and the fact that Aoife would also gain a little sister, just yet.

"Brother?" Thor turned to him, slightly worried by his continued silence. "Are you not also pleased? A second child is a great blessing-"

Loki groaned and placed his head in his hands. "She's going to kill me," he moaned.

* * *

Jane couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so warm and comfortable. Not since Alfheim, certainly, before they were told about Thanos and the siege of Asgard…

Thanos!

Her eyes snapped open, and she almost immediately flinched as her vision jumped, the colours permeating her eyes too bright, too vivid, too strange to what she was used to. Her senses expanded and unfurled, and she felt like she could hear the murmuring of the fountain in the courtyard where she'd sat with Frigg nearly two years before, and spoke of Loki and her own childhood, or count the heartbeats of the two people she loved most in the Universe, sitting not two feet from her, or taste the tang of herbs and sea salt in the breeze coming through a window nearby. What the hell…?

But then, all this fled from her mind as a bundle of raven black curls, pale, blue-tinged skin and emerald green cambric launched itself into her arms with a delighted squeal. "MAMMA!"

Tears sprang to her eyes, as she clutched her daughter close, tight against her body. "Hey there, baby girl," she whispered. A moment later, she pushed Aoife back, brushing aside her hair and drinking her in, the elfin face, the untamed ringlets, the skin that was a combination of ice and marble, and the dark blue eyes that shone with life and innocence. She'd done it, she'd saved her daughter.

"Jane," a quiet voice spoke from the side, and Jane turned her head to find Loki, sat patiently by her bedside, with a relieved smile on his handsome face. His eyes shone with tears and love, as she shifted Aoife gently to the side, still holding her close with one arm, before grabbing hold of Loki's tunic and crushing his lips to hers. He held her close, one hand around her chin, as they kissed desperately, filled with the thrill of life and freedom in their veins. Thanos was gone, they'd done it. They were free.

"Mamma, Papa," Aoife wriggled and wrinkled her nose disgustedly. "Ewww!"

When they broke apart, Jane was smiling, as the pieces slotted together in her head, and she remembered everything that had happened after she allowed Loki to stab her. "You just couldn't do it, could you?" she breathed. "You impossible man, you just couldn't let me go."

"Of course not, you belong to me," Loki growled quietly. "My life and my soul are yours, I do not live without you. I would have ripped apart the universes to bring you back."

"And I would have torn the fabric of reality apart if it meant I could save you," Jane replied, through her tears. "We're a right…" she swore under her breath, considering Aoife was lying on her other side, now happily examining the gold brocade on Jane's sleeping robe. "…up pair, aren't we?"

"Undoubtedly," Loki chuckled, lightly yet his eyes were dark and possessive, the match of her own, Jane had no doubt. "If you ever do anything so foolish again…

"You'll probably say the exact same thing, in as big-bad-threatening-God tones as you can muster, and then I'll ignore you anyway," Jane quipped, earning herself a glare.

"Were you not now an Aesir, I might just have to kill you myself and save myself the grey hairs," Loki replied, jokingly, as Jane rolled her eyes. Aoife looked up, puzzled.

"Does that mean I won't get a little brother to play with?" she asked, pouting. Loki frowned at her, as Jane laughed.

"Not for a little while, baby girl," she told her, gently. "Your Papa and I haven't discussed having more children. You're quite enough for us."

"But the nice lady said you had a baby in your belly, and I think it's a boy!" Aoife pouted harder, her tiny forehead furrowed. Jane froze, before looking to Loki.

"Ahh, yes, about that Jane," Loki sighed awkwardly. "Eir informed us that you're pregnant. Again."

At that precise moment the door opened, and Thor swept in, heading off the explosion building in Jane's eyes. "Ah, Jane, you're awake!" his voice boomed across the room, as he eagerly rushed to her bedside. "Has Loki told you the good news?"

"You told him before me!?" Jane exploded, as Thor faltered, staring at her with wide eyes. Aoife giggled and jumped off the bed, knowing what was coming next, going to Thor and demanding a ride on his shoulders. "Before I was even awake, you told your brother before me-!?"

"It was not like that!" Loki replied heatedly, heading her off firmly. "Thor and my mother were in the room when Eir made the announcement. It was complete coincidence!"

Jane let out a frustrated shriek. "Arghh! Why am I always the last one to know!?" she slumped back against her pillows, folding her arms mulishly. "Seriously, Loki, say goodbye to your balls because this is the absolute last time I let you anywhere near me!"

"Yes, dear," Loki breathed wearily, glancing at Thor and Aoife, nervously edging out of the door. His brother almost looked scared. "Cowards," he called. "It'll be your turn soon enough."

Thor paled even more, gulping, as Loki chuckled, just as a pillow landed on his head. With a nod to Thor to take Aoife away, he grabbed Jane's wrist, pinning her down as he straddled her. She eyed him glaringly, before sliding her legs around his and shoving him onto his back, straddling him effortlessly.

"Well, someone's feeling better," he remarked teasingly, as Jane still continued to glare. "Are you not happy, my love?"

"Oh it's in there somewhere," Jane muttered. "It'll come out eventually. For now though, I'm restraining the urge to murder you painfully."

"Always so bloodthirsty," Loki chuckled, drawing his hands up her legs with a seductive grin. "Clearly, I am a bad influence."

"Oh hell no, you're not taking the credit for my insanity," she breathed, rotating her hips down into him, making him moan and buck his hips into hers. They laughed, free and joyous, before Jane's expression crumpled, as all the realisations hit her at once.

Rila was dead. Baelen was dead, Kaila was dead. So many others too, and little Aeslin was now an orphan, among hundreds. They saved the Universe, but at great cost. For a moment, she felt fear as she realised her changed status, from human to Aesir, and wondered if that meant her connection to the Mother had died, but no, there she was, warm and comforting against her mind, relief and joy mingling with sorrow and pain.

Wordlessly, Loki pulled her down into his arms, rearranging their bodies until they lay on their sides, face to face, arms and legs entwined. "I am so sorry, my love," he breathed, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "There was nothing you could have done to save them."

"That doesn't stop it hurting," she whispered brokenly. "And poor little Aeslin, she's all alone-"

"Not alone. She has us," Loki replied firmly. "We will not abandon her, we will care for her as our own, and make sure the orphans of this war are cared for in turn."

Jane stared at him, and he shifted uneasily under her piercing, mismatched gaze, before she smiled softly through her grief, and pressed a kiss to his lips. "After so long together, you can still surprise me," she told him warmly.

"You will find, my Queen, that I am full of them," Loki drawled seductively, shifting her onto her back and muffling her laughter with his kiss, distracting her from the grief and the work that awaited them outside the door of the Healing room now she had awakened.

Alfheim needed her Queen Mother, but not yet. Tonight, she was wholly Loki's, after he had come so close to losing her forever.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	19. A Wedding and a Funeral

Veritas

Warnings: none.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'Sanctuary' from 'Snow White and the Huntsman', 'Gwen and Arthur' from 'Merlin: Series 2', 'A Life So Changed' from 'Titanic', 'Archery' from 'the Young Victoria' and 'Evenstar' from 'Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers'.

* * *

'_I love her and that's the beginning and end of everything.'_

_- F. Scott Fitzgerald_

* * *

_Asgard_

A few days later, and Jane was back up on her feet and full of energy. Her new body was strange and difficult to adapt to, as she had to learn how to hold things again without crushing them, or how to walk across a room without moving too fast. But slowly, she was improving.

As soon as it was clear Jane was perfectly healthy again, she'd taken her place as Queen Mother of Alfheim once more, visiting the injured among her people and making plans for their removal back to Alfheim, and the funerals for those lost in battle. There were already many houses in Asgard bearing black banners outside their windows and doors, to signify the loss of a loved one in battle, and Jane feared it would be the same when they returned to Alfheim.

Her emotions during that period waxed and waned, leaving her feeling drained most of the time. Loki's constant watching and hawkish stares didn't help, except for those times when they did, and she desperately needed his strength to lean on, if only for a little while. Sometimes her emotions grew too great to suppress, and she was forced to retreat from all of them, even Aoife, with only Loki there to witness, and aid her, when things became too much.

As a result, she'd discovered an unsettling side-effect of her transformation from human to Aesir. She could exert some level of control over fire, and with Loki's help, with the other elements too. When they had consulted Frigg about the discovery, she had explained it was not uncommon for those who became Aesir to develop powers of their own, according to their personalities and the lives they had lived as mortals. She told Jane and Loki that it seemed Jane was a sorceress with power over the elements, different to Loki in that her power was limited only to the elements, unlike his, but still powerful in her own way. When they were alone, Aoife asleep in her bed, they would explore her newfound talent.

Jane supposed it was ironic that the element she had the greatest affinity for was fire.

They made the announcement of Jane's new talents to Thor, Sif and the others one evening, just as they gathered for the evening meal. They congratulated her readily enough, and asked careful questions throughout the meal, but as Jane laughed and played with Aoife in the courtyard, chasing her around the fountain, aided by Fandral and Volstagg, Thor drew Loki aside, a worried frown in his eyes.

"I know we suspected Jane would develop powers of her own once she awoke from the transition," he began, quietly. "But are we now certain she can control them?"

Loki stiffened slightly. "Once again, brother, you underestimate her," he retorted, just as quiet, but with a warning edge of menace that made the hair on Thor's arm stand on end. "In any case, it is not something we can control. Jane will learn to control her gifts and she will succeed. She has succeeded in far more harrowing endeavours. You should have more faith."

"Perhaps you should remain on Asgard, then," Thor mused, with a hopeful glance at Loki. "There are sorcerers here who could help her learn control, and you could retake your rightful place as Prince of Asgard permanently. And we could see Aoife and your future child grow."

That last was said with a wistful expression on Thor's face as he watched Aoife laugh and squeal as she dodged Fandral only to be swept up into Jane's arms and spun round and round, laughing. Loki followed his gaze and smiled, even as his eyes flashed. "Is that an order, brother?"

Thor stilled, before glancing at Loki warily, and as their eyes met, their wills clashed. Like blades of steel, they duelled, but even as Loki's smile dropped, Thor sighed and looked away. "Of course not," he breathed. "It was a request. I could never hope to hold you, either of you, against your will. You have grown beyond me, Loki, you and Jane both, and I do not yet know if it is a good thing or a bad thing."

"We are what we are, Thor," he replied softly. "You cannot always have things ordered according to your design. Jane and I are not evil, but neither are we wholly good. We live our lives as we see fit, without recourse to others. You cannot tame us."

"I know," Thor whispered. "Why do you think I ordered you and Jane to come to my coronation?"

Loki frowned. "You knew I would refuse?"

"I thought it would be wise to give you the opportunity to do so," Thor shrugged. "To show your independence of us, and that you were not our servant, as some did suggest. I wanted you to be your own man, Loki."

"That is…remarkably sneaky of you, Brother," Loki breathed, astounded. Thor smirked.

"I have my moments, and I had an excellent teacher to instruct me," he retorted playfully, before he sobered. But you will visit? I wish to see you often, Brother."

"Or you could visit Alfheim one day," Loki offered, the tension easing between them. "Jane is still the Queen Mother of Alfheim and she feels her place is there. And it is Aoife's home, and it will be our child's home too, when they are born. We will not leave until they are grown and can make their own choices as to their futures."

"Aye, perhaps I will," Thor said, finally after a long silence. They fell into a cool but companionable silence as they watched Jane and Aoife play, in the setting sun. "When will you return to Alfheim?"

"The day after tomorrow," Loki answered. "We have tarried long enough. There is work to be done."

"Aye, that there is," Thor nodded. "We will accompany you. I am under strict instructions from our mother not to let you slip away this time."

Loki turned, frowning, as Thor smirked evilly. "Having children and living together may be the equivalent of marriage on Alfheim but it is not accepted on Asgard. Mother is determined to drag you both back here and see you married before all."

Loki rolled his eyes, sighing. "I'm not getting out of this one, am I?" he muttered, his eyes on Jane, beautiful and glowing in the twilight, and felt his heart lurch at the thought of being married to her in the way of his former home.

"Not this time," Thor chuckled, as they set out to join their family, Loki scooping Aoife up on his shoulders, as she laughed and cheered.

* * *

That night, while they readied themselves for bed, Loki watched Jane as she combed her long, luscious hair while Aoife settled down to sleep beside their bed. As soon as her eyes closed, he rose from his seat atop their bed and bent down to press a kiss to his daughter's forehead, before silently casting the spell to muffle sound, so she would not wake, no matter how loud they were.

He had a feeling what he was about to say could go either of two ways, and he wasn't certain which way it would go.

Either way, it really was better Aoife couldn't hear this.

He paced across the room, to where Jane sat, at a small dressing table and mirror that had been placed for her use, watching the bristles of the brush run through her coppery hair. She wore a long, diaphanous nightgown, loose and all too innocently seductive for Loki's peace of mind. He curled his hands over her shoulders, before bending his head to her neck and kissing the exposed column desirously. She shivered and smiled, placing her brush down and placing one hand at the nape of his neck, holding him to her. His hands slid down from her shoulders to her waist, and then around, to cradle her and the child she bore within her. Their secondborn.

"What's the matter?" she asked, meeting his gaze in the mirror as he raised his head. He joined her on the stool, as she twisted around to face him, her face drawn into a frown.

"There's no need to frown, my love," he replied smoothly. "I was merely thinking how very much I love you."

"Ok, you're up to something," Jane narrowed her eyes, and he sighed exasperatedly. "Talk."

"So forceful. I think all that power as Queen Mother has gone to your head," he teased right back, leaning in and kissing her forcefully. She moaned and clung closer to him, her hands going to his hair and ruffling it, drawing her fingers through the dark strands, her nails scraping along his scalp until he groaned.

"Hark who's talking! Now spill, come on!" Jane insisted, when she drew back with a defiant look on her face he knew only too well.

"Thor and my mother have got into their scatter-brained heads that we should return here, after the funerals on Alfheim, and wed. Properly, in their view, since living together and having children is not seen as a true marriage on Asgard," he explained warily, as Jane's brow rose.

"So that was why Thor was asking me about Earth wedding customs at dinner," she mused, realisation in her eyes. "Whoops."

"What is it?" Loki asked, with a pointed look, unease stirring in his gut as she looked at him slightly guiltily.

"Well, I told him about how the bridegroom always chooses a 'best man', and that the best man's jobs are to organise the stag party, get him to the church or whatever on time, keep hold of the rings and so on…." She trailed off, as Loki's eyebrow rose.

"Somehow I'm sensing there is more horror yet to come," he sighed. "Go on. What _**else **_did you tell him?"

"That the best man has to stand up at the customary post-wedding meal, and give a speech about the couple….and to embarrass them as much as possible," she finally confessed, as Loki groaned. Feelingly.

Jane couldn't help but laugh, for a few moments, ignoring Loki's glare, until she finally calmed. More seriously, she asked, "What do you think about it all? Getting married the Asgard way?"

"In all seriousness, I had not considered it before now. But now I think on it, to have you as my wife…before all in Asgard, I could not wish it more. But is it not only my feelings that matter in this, Jane," he replied firmly. Jane shrugged.

"I'm not against it, if that's what you mean…" she trailed off, lost in thought, before she smiled. "Some might see this marriage as a formal alliance between Alfheim and Asgard, though, so soon after Frey and the end of Asgard's influence. That is, if I was going to stay Queen Mother…"

"You are still resolved on that, then?" Loki asked, "To renounce your title and your place?"

"I'm many things but a Queen is not one of them," Jane shook her head. "And with everything's that happened, I think temptation is better avoided, don't you?"

Loki knew she spoke of the darkness that was so powerful within her. She had not admitted it at the time, but Thanos's words spoke truer than Jane was comfortable with. She did have a dark side, and with all the power of the Mother at her beck and call, she could do a lot of damage and the temptation power provided was not one she wanted to have to face for a very long time. Laevateinn she could not do anything about, unless the sword decided to leave her, but the rest she could.

"I just want to be with you, and Aoife and Aeslin, and the new baby when they come," Jane confessed, softly, as she rose and walked to the bed, sitting down on its edge and gazing at the slumbering Aoife. "But I have responsibilities at the moment. When everything's back to normal, when Alfheim has started to recover, then I'll give it up. I just want to be me again, just Jane."

"I can understand that," Loki murmured, rising to join her, sliding an arm around her shoulder. "Although you were never 'just Jane'. You always were an extraordinary woman, my love."

"Charmer," Jane smirked, leaning into him with a soft smile. "And yes. I'll marry you, although you didn't technically ask."

"Then I will ask when we return to Alfheim, on our platform under the stars," he told her, as she smiled and laid back on the furs of their bed, her coppery hair shining with the radiance of her new vitality, her skin alive with it, as he joined her, tenderly imprisoning her between his arms as he leant over her.

"You're quite the romantic at heart," she quipped teasingly, as he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her deeply.

* * *

_Alfheim_

A few days later, and they were back on Alfheim. The silver light of the Forest was subdued as the main body of the force Jane had led from the planet returned, in the wake of the outriders and messengers that had been travelling back and forth, preparing for the arrival of the Queen Mother, her Prince Consort, the Princess and their people, and the King of Asgard, his Queen and members of their court. No fallen warrior had ever had such a procession accompanying them to their final resting place before, in the history of Alfheim.

It was Elven custom that the dead were burned on great pyres, their ashes scattered to the winds and left to drift, until they fell to the ground and became a part of the earth of the Mother. With so many dead, it was decided to have one great funeral, where Jane would speak and all could attend who wished.

Jane was dreading it, but as she prepared for the funerals in her bathing chamber, there was another task that was making her nervous. Today, Aeslin would officially become their daughter and a Princess of Alfheim, since Rila and Baelen had announced their intentions in front of witnesses before their deaths, of Jane and Loki taking care of Aeslin, and with Kaila fallen also, there were no more of their family to take her anyway.

She wondered how Loki was feeling about the whole thing. She couldn't help but worry that it struck a little too close to home, too similar to the way he had been brought up, except with one vital difference: Loki had been abandoned, Aeslin was an orphan, and Jane would love her as her own daughter. She suspected Loki might love her even more, in sympathy for all she had lost, without truly knowing it, and the bond they shared as children brought up by parents not their own.

With a sigh, she covered the burnished curls of her hair, set back from her face but otherwise left to tumble freely down her shoulders, with the hood of her black cloak, making sure Laevateinn was securely fastened at her girdle, and fixing the neckline of her gown. She wore no jewellery bar the necklace Loki had made for her, and the finely wrought, silver filigree diadem of the Queen Mothers of Alfheim, the first and last time she would wear it.

Finally pronouncing herself ready, she left the room, to find Loki and Aoife waiting for her, both clothed in mourning black, the little girl cloaked and gloved against the cool wind outside, while Loki looked as handsome and striking as ever, the only flash of colour on his outfit the emerald green of his collar, only just showing through the drapes of his cloak.

"Mamma, Papa says I have to walk with you," Aoife groused. "But Aeslin gets to be carried!"

Jane and Loki exchanged a quick look, as Jane knelt down to look her pouting daughter in the eye. "That is because Aeslin is a baby, darling, and you are a big girl," she told her solemnly. "And we need you to be on your best behaviour, ok?"

Aoife perked up when Jane called her a big girl, and she nodded. Loki ran a hand across her hair, and caressed her cheek. "It does not mean you are any less loved, my little one," he told her. "But Aeslin is your little sister now, and we must make sure she is loved and protected, mustn't we? As her big sister, you must do what is best for her. And soon, you will have another sibling to care for."

Aoife nodded solemnly once more, as Jane's eyes filled with tears at the look in Loki's. She smiled weakly, as he looked up at her, but there was no darkness in Loki's eyes, no sadness, just warmth and light. She nodded, as a handmaiden came in, bearing Aeslin, wrapped securely in blankets and a cloak and gave her to Loki, who took hold of Aeslin carefully, and kneeling down so Aoife could see the little she-Elf.

"She lost her mamma and her papa," Loki told Aoife quietly, the sleeping baby deaf to all around her. "So we will be her new mamma and papa now. And you're her big sister."

Aoife nodded, and Jane's heart broke anew as she bent over and pressed a kiss to Aeslin's auburn curls, and the baby stirred. Before she lost it, completely, she turned and led the way out.

Outside, the Elves were gathered, all clothed in black, while the Aesir waited, black cloaks over their shining armour. There waited Thor, Sif, the Warriors Three and many lords of the Aesir court, and while no one offered them any hostility or insult, the Elves regarded them coldly.

They bowed when Jane and Loki emerged, Aoife holding Jane's hand while Loki carried Aeslin, clutched close in his arms, and Alona stepped up to greet them. "All is made ready, Queen Mother," she told her sombrely, and Jane nodded, inhaling deeply before stepping out, leading the way to the pyres, Loki and Aoife by her side, Alona and the surviving members of the Ruling Council behind her, and the Aesir court following behind them, leaving the people to follow as they would.

The pyres had been built on a wide, open area of the Forest floor, exposed to the sky above, as the sun shone fiercely despite the cold wind that whispered softly through the trees. Jane stepped up to them, recognising many of the long bed, their bodies washed and dressed in their finest, their arms and symbols of their vocations laid at head and foot, and she had to bite back a sob when she looked upon the still, peaceful faces of Kaila, Baelen and Rila.

They had been her first friends on this world, the first to welcome her and treat her as one of their own. Rila and Kaila had been emotional support during the time of Jane and Loki's estrangement, and then during her pregnancy. Rila had placed the greatest faith in Jane, and entrusted her most precious possession to her if she and her mate should die.

_I promise I will care for her with all my heart, Rila. Your daughter will always know what it is to be loved, and I will never let her forget you. Sleep well, my friend…_

Or so Jane thought, as she turned and faced the crowd watching her, the Aesir standing by in respectful silence, while the Ruling Council flanked her on one side, and Loki and Aoife on the other. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and opened her mouth, her voice clear and strong despite the pain in her heart.

"We come here today to mourn and say farewell to those who fell in battle, who fell defending this Realm and the Realm of Asgard from the forces of darkness," she cried out, the practiced lines falling from her lips easily. Her features crumpled, at her next words. "We've lost many friends, mates, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters, but we will not forget them," she continued, determinedly. "Their sacrifice, their choice, will never be forgotten as they pass on, and may the Mother protect them all."

"May the Mother protect them all," the crowd intoned, as Jane turned back to the pyres, and several Elves stepped forward with lit torches, held out towards the pyres, as Jane raised her hands. A tendril of breeze wafted across her face, as she closed her eyes at the voice in her head. _**Fear not Death, my Daughter, and grieve no more for those who gave all for the love they bore their Realm, their families and their Queen…**_

With a sigh, Jane opened her eyes, strengthened, and looked deep within herself for the power that now resided within her. More natural, more entrenched in her very soul that anything else, even the Mother, or the darkness, Jane's soul burned as brightly as the stars of the Universe, and now with the strength of the Aesir pouring through her veins, she summoned it forth, unfurling her hands to spread the fingers outward, and drew the fire from the torches and directed it down, in a burning golden wave, to completely immerse the bodies laid out below. The flames leapt high, reaching towards the blue sky above, as Jane drew Laevateinn and held the point skyward, followed suit by the watching crowd and the Aesir that bore weapons, before she felt her hand enclosed by Loki's strong and powerful one, and she sheathed the ancient blade in her hand, and turned to smile up at him sadly, as Aoife crowded close to her mother, Jane's free hand on her hair, as Aeslin squirmed sleepily in the cradle of Loki's arms. She felt a surge of warmth inside of her, and smiled as the magic of the child she bore within her unfurled for the first time.

* * *

_Asgard_

The golden feasting hall of Asgard was packed to the rafters, the walls draped with shimmering lengths of cerulean blue and forest green silks, warm candlelight lending a golden tone to everything, as the guests feasted and drank joyously.

Light Elves sat side by side with Aesir, and emissaries from the Nine Realms had all come to witness the marriage of the trickster Prince of Asgard to the former Queen Mother of Alfheim and the bearer of Laevateinn, the Sword of Destiny. Their story had been told a thousand times, in the month since the Elves mourned their dead and entrusted their ashes to the winds, and with every retelling, every inevitable embellishment and exaggeration, their legend grew.

Loki sat at the head table, beside his new wife, and smiled to himself. The wary, half-awed, half-fearful looks he and his bride had endured since their return to Asgard no longer fazed him, nor did they necessarily please him. Well…maybe a little bit.

He relished the sight of his _**wife**_ chasing their daughter through the maze of tables and benches, dodging guests and servants, as the little blue-clad child laughed and squealed as Jane finally caught her up, laughing herself, as radiant as a star. Light seemed to shine from within her, and her eyes sparkled with mismatched fire, as the guests laughed and marvelled to see her, once an ordinary human woman, now a figure of legend to them.

She was still as breathtaking as she'd appeared to him, gliding down the steps of Gladsheim to his side, clad in clinging pearlescent silks that faded, from lightest pink like the blossoms of the trees on Alfheim, to purest white, cleaving to her still slender figure, not yet showing the child she carried, her copper hair curled and piled against her crown, laced with pearls from the Asgardian ocean, and pearls dripped from her throat and ears.

Now, she was his wife, although they'd both acknowledged it was a mere formality. Jane belonged to him, body, soul and mind, and him to her. Becoming husband and wife was just a bit of playacting to satisfy his mother and the gossips back on Asgard. He smiled and drank deeply from his cup of wine, as her eyes met his and she led Aoife towards the high table. Aeslin was asleep in their rooms, exhausted by the ceremony, and soon Aoife would join her. There was still many hours of celebrations left to go.

The news that Jane intended to relinquish her title and place as Queen Mother of Alfheim had been met by dismay and pleas for her to reconsider, but she had remained firm. Eventually, the Ruling Council had named Alona as regent, citing that the title then passed to Aoife as the eldest daughter of Jane, and despite Jane's displeasure, they had told her that the choice was Aoife's to make once she was old enough, and until then Alona would rule Alfheim. Jane could not argue with that, much to her chagrin, and accepted it ungracefully, in true Jane style. Jane formally ceased to be the Queen Mother when she wed Loki and became, by default, a Princess of Asgard. Alfheim had claimed its independence, fully supported by Jane and Loki, and Thor had given in, unable to convince them otherwise. He was quickly getting used to not winning arguments against Loki and Jane, especially when they worked together in concert.

No doubt, he was waiting to take his revenge, thanks to Jane and her Earth customs, with the 'best man's speech'.

Loki sighed wearily.

After they had bid Aoife goodnight and seen her off to bed, Jane and Loki sat together, side by side at the high table, and smiled, lost in the peace and content that was their immediate future, for now.

As she sat beside her new husband, Jane had little doubt that such a future would be short-lived, being who they were, and she wouldn't have it any other way. As soon as the last of their children was grown, she and Loki planned to leave Alfheim, probably not for good, but there was a wide, great Universe waiting out there for them to roam, and Jane looked forward to it. Being nearly immortal now, the years ahead didn't seem so long, and she suspected it would be all too soon before even the child growing within her was an adult. She smiled, as she thought of the secret she possessed, a wedding gift to Loki later when they were alone. A thrill ran through her body at the thought, and she glimpsed an answering heat in Loki's eyes.

Just a little longer…

Just then, Thor stood and Jane, in her mind, both groaned and chuckled at the thought of what he was about to say. No doubt, he'd say plenty to embarrass her, but there would be plenty of new material to needle Loki with for the next century.

"I still say we should have just slipped away when we had the chance," Loki murmured in her ear, as Thor called for silence. She sent him a narrow, warning, glare.

"Behave," she hissed. "Let him have his moment. You are his brother, after all."

"Honoured guests and friends!" Thor called, as the hall quietened and all eyes fell on him, stood beside Jane and Loki with a wicked twinkle in his eye. "Today we have gathered and witnessed the marriage of my brother and Jane Foster of Midgard," he continued proudly. "My dear new sister once told me of this Earth tradition, of the best man of the bridegroom giving a speech to congratulate the married couple, and so I do now."

"They have fought and toiled for so long, defeated odds the likes of which have made many a warrior quail, and now they face the greatest trial of all: marriage to each other!"

Loki and Jane couldn't help but laugh at that one, as Thor smirked wickedly, and the crowd laughed with them. Thor raised a hand for silence, as his smile softened, as he glanced from Loki and Jane, to Sif on his other side, smiling and proud in scarlet silk. "Marriage is a trial but it is also the greatest joy in the Universe. To be bound eternally to the soul of the one you love, to face each day and each challenge on the horizon with the other half of your soul, is a privilege and a gift. Unless you're called Fandral," he finished with a quip, and more laughter roared across the hall, as Fandral smirked unrepentantly, a lovely maiden on his knee. "In which case, you're loved by many."

"But all of this brings to mind another wedding my brother and I attended, in the days of our youth," Thor continued, as Jane felt Loki stiffen beside her, and he was glaring at Thor intensely. Jane started to worry for Thor's health. Thor just winked and continued on blithely, ignoring Loki's glares. "You all know the story of the day Thrym of Jotunheim stole Mjolnir from me and hid it on Jotunheim, and the price he demanded. And how my brother devised a cunning plan to fool the Frost Giant and regain Mjolnir by having me masquerade as Freya and become Thrym's bride. Naturally, my brother accompanied me."

"And you made a blushing bride, _**Thora**_," Loki replied with a wicked smirk, but instead of reacting to his teasing and the renewed laughter of the guests, Thor just smiled evilly.

"What my dear brother has forgotten in his mischief, is that he too dressed as a woman, my maidservant, to accompany me to Jotunheim. Exactly how many marriage proposals did you receive in one night, Loki?"

Jane burst into laughter at that one, imagining Loki and Thor in dresses, and a Frost Giant on bended knee in front of Loki.

Loki muttered under his breath, as Thor chuckled. "I believe it was close to twenty by the time the night was nearly through. And even Thrym himself was so enchanted by my dear brother, he invited him, or rather _**her**_, to join us in the marriage bed!"

The hall roared with laughter, and even Loki chuckled and shook his head at Thor, who smiled, a softer grin this time, his eyes warm and proud. "But as in all things, my brother stood by me that day, and many days since our youth. Ever has he been there, a protector, a counsellor and my brother in arms, beyond the bond of blood. And despite the shadows that fell over our family, we are now stronger than ever," Thor raised his cup to him. "I have never been prouder to call Loki my brother. And now he is married, a father to two beautiful children, and soon a third. He has risked much to save us all, and walked the shadows to protect the Universe. For this, I honour him."

The guests all stood and drank to Loki, who wasn't entirely sure where to look, so he settled for staring incredulously at Thor, who inclined his head after he lowered his cup, before turning on Jane. "As for his radiant bride, the first time I met Jane Foster, she struck me with her horseless metal chariot, and what followed was some of the most uncomfortable and humiliating few hours of my existence," he nodded to her, his smile soft. "She gave me hope, and the strength to regain Mjolnir. And now here she sits, a wife, a Princess, a former Queen, a mother, a warrior, a scholar of the stars, a sorceress and an Aesir. I am honoured to welcome her to our family as my sister. Truly, Jane, you are the only woman in the Nine Realms worthy enough of my brother, and capable enough of keeping him in line."

"And the only one mad enough!" a voice shouted from the crowd, as Jane picked up her glass and raised it to Loki.

"Amen to that!" she shouted back, downing her wine with a defiant fire in her eyes, before turning and dragging Loki into a passionate, barely socially acceptable kiss, prompting laughter and applause to ripple through the hall, growing louder with every moment that passed. Finally Thor regained control, and Jane released Loki onto to be dragged onto his lap, as she glared at him but let him hold her close with a resigned sigh.

"To my brother and sister," Thor cried, raising his glass one last time. "Wherever you may go, to whatever fate awaits you, I wish you great joy and long health!"

"Great joy and long health!" the guests repeated, before they all drank to the newlyweds, who smiled and shook their heads as Thor looked to them sheepishly, but with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes that Jane knew he'd learned from Loki.

Happiness bloomed within her, and she laughed as Loki swept her into his arms, to catcalls and cheers, briefly meeting the shining eyes of Thor, Frigg and Sif, before Loki possessively spirited her away.

* * *

Once in their chambers, Loki let Jane down, pressing a brief but passionate kiss to her lips and holding her tightly against him, before she broke away. "Just a minute," she breathed. "I just want to check the children."

She led him by the hand into the chamber connected to theirs by a door, where Aoife slept in a little bed by a fire crackling merrily in a grate, while Aeslin slumbered fitfully in a cradle a little distance away. With one touch from her foster mother's hand on her downy auburn hair, Aeslin settled, and Loki smiled to watch her, so tender and natural, with their daughters, as she quickly pressed a kiss to Aoife's hair, before pausing once more by Aeslin's cradle.

He joined her, looking down at the small child within, and sensed Jane's thoughts, the loss of Rila, Baelen and Kaila, weighing on her even as she was happy. The similarities between himself and Aeslin often passed through his mind, and although the differences outweighed the similarities between them, he made a silent vow to do a better job of being a father to Aeslin than Odin had been to him, to love both Aoife and Aeslin equally, and the child that was to come.

"Come away now," he stepped up behind Jane, enfolding her in his arms and quietly leading her away. Once in the privacy of their bedchamber, he lifted Jane into his arms and carried her towards their bed, pausing only to dispose of his armour and cloak before lowering himself into her welcoming arms. They had made love so many times, but now it felt different, in a strange way Loki hadn't expected, a new intimacy that intrigued him, even when the whole tedious ordeal of the wedding had been just a formality that he was eager to have done with, and he was looking forward to exploring that intimacy further with her, in the many years to come.

As his hands smoothed up her thighs, drawing the silk of her gown with them, she placed a hand on his chest, stopping him with a soft smile. "I've got a wedding gift for you," she told him softly, her mismatched eyes shining. The day had been perfect, and the only thing which could have made it more perfect was if Erik had been there to share it with her. But she refused to let regret have any hold over her, and she was happier than she had ever felt, even when Aoife was born, even when she worked out the first equation for the foundation of the Einstein-Rosen Bridge, happier even than when she discovered Loki was alive after the explosion on Stark Tower. "Now, you can either wait eight months or so until this one pops out, or I can give it to you now. I know the gender of our baby," she continued, as his eyes widened. His hand glided across her abdomen, leaving a trail of fire in its wake, as she arched.

"Tell me," he smiled, as Jane's fingers caressed his cheek. "What is it?"

"It's a boy. We're going to have a son," she told him, smiling as she felt the wave of magic inside of her that came from him, that had first alerted her to it, as Loki laughed, truly carefree and joyful for the first time in millennia.

"Any child you give me is a joy, Jane, son or daughter," he told her. "The girls will be pleased to have a little brother to adore and annoy, just like their mother."

"Hey!" Jane slapped his shoulder, and he pinned her wrists to the pillows with an intent smirk on his handsome features, as she shivered and grinned, knowing he would react that way. They knew one another so well now, inside and out, and yet Jane doubted she would ever grow bored of him, or with him. He was her everything, beginning and end, and she would never regret the chance she had taken when she had stepped into his arms at Stark Tower and promised herself to him forever.

As their lips met, and the tide of desire and need rose, Loki's mind managed one last coherent thought, before he succumbed. She was his everything, he loved her, and that realisation, so long ago, unconsciously realised that day on Stark Tower, and unacknowledged for so long, had been both the beginning and the end of everything. And he would spend the rest of their long, joint lives together finding ways to show that to her, again and again and again.

* * *

_A/N: For all those who wanted an embarrassing best man speech from Thor in 'At The Beginning', but whom I had to deny, ;D. Just the epilogue to go now!_


	20. Epilogue: Veritas

Veritas

Warnings: none.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Playlist: 'Can You See Jane?' from 'Thor'.

* * *

'_Heart beats fast,  
Colors and promises,  
How to be brave?  
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall,  
But watching you stand alone?  
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow._

_One step closer._

_I have died everyday waiting for you,  
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you.  
For a thousand years,  
I'll love _you for a thousand more.

_Time stands still,_  
_Beauty in all she is,_  
_I will be brave,_  
_I will not let anything take away_  
_What's standing in front of me._  
_Every breath,_  
_Every hour has come to this._

_One step closer._

_I have died everyday waiting for you,_  
_Darling don't be afraid I have loved you,_  
_For a thousand years,_  
_I'll love you for a thousand more._

_And all along I believed I would find you._  
_Time has brought your heart to me,_  
_I have loved you for a thousand years,_  
_I'll love you for a thousand more._

_One step closer._

_One step closer._

_I have died everyday waiting for you,_  
_Darling don't be afraid I have loved you._  
_For a thousand years,_  
_I'll love you for a thousand more._

_And all along I believed I would find you._  
_Time has brought your heart to me,_  
_I have loved you for a thousand years,_  
_I'll love you for a thousand more.'_

_- Christine Perri, A Thousand Years_

* * *

The wind barely stirred the treetops of Alfheim, as clouds built in the sky and the Forest stirred.

Something was coming.

It had been fifteen years to the day, fifteen years of peace and prosperity, since the fall of Thanos and the independence of Alfheim had been declared. Apart from the deposing of its ruler, Alfheim had seen little else of change in the fifteen years since that day.

Clouds amassed and circled around a single point of the Forest, a wide clearing, devoid of trees or shrubbery, a blackened wound in the rippling green canopy. A wound comprised of twisting, intricate runic shapes, burnt into the earth. The clouds that crackled and rippled above the clearing were no weather of the world, as lightning spat and thunder roared, until a great golden flare of light shot down, hitting the ground and repainting the circular runes anew.

The clouds dispersed and the thunder died away, leaving the Forest in a waiting, watchful peaceful silence.

But not for long.

"Jesus, Thor! You didn't tell us it was that rough! I've been on rollarcoasters less bumpy than that!" a strong, sarcastic male voice broke the peace of the Forest, as a group of seven people blinked their eyes and gaped at their surroundings, all but Thor, who just chuckled.

"Looks like your kind of world, hey Clint?" Bruce muttered to the archer, who just rolled his eyes.

"Quit being such a baby, Stark," Natasha groaned, as she straightened out a kink in her spine with a loud _snap_.

"You know you loved every minute of it," Banner agreed from the other side of the clearing, brushing off his shirt before helping the man on his knees beside him to his feet. Erik Selvig was on the cusp between middle age and old age, his face lined, his hair now totally devoid of colour, his eyes sad and tired. Thor came to his side, his cloak missing, his arms bare in the Alfheim sunlight, Mjolnir at his best.

"Was the journey too hard, old friend?" he asked, as Selvig chuckled and shook his head, shaking his windswept hair back into abeyance.

"There's life in the old dog yet, Thor. Don't worry about me," he told the Aesir reassuringly, but his heart was still hammering.

* * *

A mere week before, Thor had returned to Earth to meet his old friends and comrades-in-arms, after the retirement of Fury. Natasha and Clint were now retired from active service, and they co-ordinated SHIELD between them, as well as instructing new recruits in advanced combat.

Steve still worked for SHIELD, when the need arose, but otherwise he drifted from country to country, unsatisfied with his life and afraid to form attachments since he had not aged in fifteen years and was not likely to in the future.

Stark and Banner worked on a consulting basis for SHIELD, but otherwise worked as they pleased. Together, they had worked out a cure for Banner and the Hulk was no more. Stark had been married to Pepper, and Banner to his long-term girlfriend Betty, for ten years.

When Thor had returned to Earth, he'd brought with him new equations and calculations in a familiar hand, and Banner, Stark and Selvig had worked out how to build and stabilise a Bifrost on Earth, opening up the Universe to the human race.

It hadn't taken much guesswork on the Avengers' part to work out who had been behind the brilliant and complex equations Thor had given them. Erik Selvig had not seen Jane in seventeen years, but he recognised her thinking and her handwriting in the small, leather-bound book she had always carried with her, for many years since childhood, to write down all her calculations and thoughts for her research.

After that, he'd demanded Thor tell them where Jane was, and take them to her. The Avengers had readily volunteered to accompany them, after Thor told them the story of Loki and Jane's banishment on Alfheim, and the fight against Thanos.

The Avengers had listened with disbelief and awe, Stark chuckling to himself, as Thor told his tale, before they'd left.

They all knew and respected Jane, after the events leading up to the Battle of Manhattan, but the tough, indomitable warrior Queen Thor had described felt like a being from a fantasy novel, not the quiet, intelligent but strong, astrophysicist they all remembered.

* * *

All of that rushed through Erik's mind, as they gathered themselves and began to walk into the labyrinthine woods of Alfheim, trying not to trip over tree trunks until they heard the sound of childish laughter ahead.

Full and musical, it trilled over the leaves, making the group pause long before the laughter's owners came into view.

They were two girls and a boy, tall and slender. They paused, and Erik's breath caught in his throat.

They were all dressed in forest greens and browns, the tallest of the three possessing long auburn hair, austere, sharp angled features and pointed ears, with pale skin and long, elegant limbs, her eyes dark green. A bow was at her back, made of gleaming silver wood. This had to be Aeslin, the little she-Elf Loki and Jane had adopted after Thanos was defeated. She smiled, graceful and warm, as she regarded the strangers.

Her two siblings were so obviously Jane's children, however. The girl, Aoife Erik remembered, was nearly as tall as the other two, with long ringlets of raven black, pale marble skin tinged with icy blue, her eyes deep, dark midnight blue pools that sparkled with intelligence and mischief.

Her brother, Erik, was easily the tallest of the three, strong and slender, lithe as a deer. His hair was copper and his eyes were deep brown, the colour of Jane's eyes before she encountered the darkness. His hands were graceful and elegant, as he stepped forward with a confident, knowing smile that the Avengers remembered all too well. The memories weren't entirely pleasant ones.

But all three of Loki and Jane's children looked at them with the strength, intelligence and mischief of their parents, a tinge of madness and darkness which lent them an air of feyness and mystery. The children of Mischief indeed.

"Welcome to Alfheim. Our mother and father bade us come ahead to guide you through the Forest," the boy, Erik, said. He looked at the elder Erik, and his smile grew as he met the eyes of his namesake. "I am Erik, these are my sisters. Aoife and Aeslin."

"My pleasure ladies, Erik," Steve nodded gallantly, as Tony rolled his eyes behind his back, and Natasha, Clint and Bruce winked at each other. Steve shrugged. "What?"

"And I'm supposed to be the flirt," Tony muttered, as Steve glared at him and the two sisters laughed.

"There's clearly no 'supposed to be' about it," Aoife murmured. "You're exactly as bad as Mamma told us."

"Glad to hear it," Tony winked, as the sisters smirked wickedly, before Aeslin sobered and nodded slightly to them.

"Well, now the formalities are out of the way," she rolled her eyes. "Really, Erik you can be such a stick in the mud."

"Never mind them," Aoife shook her magnificent head mock-sadly, at the glares of her siblings. "They argue like cat and dog. Hello, Uncle Thor."

Thor smiled, stepping forward to embrace the two girls, before clasping hands with Erik. "It is good to see you all again. How is your training coming along? Aoife still beating you at swordplay?"

"Like a drum," Aoife quipped, before Erik could answer, and he glared at her.

"Now who's arguing like cat and dog?" Aeslin rolled her eyes, before smiling at the two Avengers closest to her, Steve and Natasha. "Come on, Mamma and Papa are waiting for you all."

"Definitely Loki and Jane's kids. Weird," Stark muttered under his breath, as they turned to follow them, while Thor smirked to himself.

* * *

The three siblings led them unerringly through the maze of trees, until they reached the hidden stairways up into the city in the trees, and wards snapping shut behind them. The darkness of the Forest had been tamed seventeen years before, but it still occasionally roiled and rose, threatening the city and the people who dwelt there.

Erik and the Avengers could barely contain a shared gasp when they finally cleared the lower canopy, and the city of the Light Elves unfolded before them. Elves smiled and nodded courteously to them, as Erik, Aoife and Aeslin led them through the crowd, often stopping to exchange a few friendly words with various Elves. Eventually, they came to a great house of white and silver wood, its vaulted roof rearing into the canopy above. To the side were a smaller, but no less beautiful, house and another stairway leading up into the treetops.

The three siblings led them past the two houses, and then up, into the trees, climbing and climbing, until even Steve's legs were burning with the strain, but the three siblings and Thor showed no tiredness.

They eventually emerged onto a wide, long platform of wood, shining silver in the sunlight above them, the sky clear and limitless all around them. On the platform was built a small hut, and two tables stood behind a long, spacious bench piled high with cushions and blankets, and what looked like a telescope stood beside it, except this one was larger and possessed several different attachments that the human scientists had never seen before.

And emerging from the hut, clothed in a long forest green surcoat, with brown leggings and boots, her copper hair restrained into a messy bun atop her head, was Jane. Her mismatched eyes shone, and she smiled so wide and happily, as the sunlight glinted off a ring on her left ring finger, and she opened her arms.

"Erik!" she called, almost shyly as she stepped forward, and then Erik only had eyes for his long-lost protégée and surrogate daughter, as he smiled through his tears and dragged her into his arms. The Avengers smiled, but only Tony took any notice at first of the tall, dark figure in green and leather that stepped out of the hut behind Jane, his eyes warm and unclouded by madness or darkness as he watched his wife's reunion with her mentor and the Avengers.

Their eyes met, and Loki inclined his head to Tony with a knowing smirk. Tony's grin widened, and he winked.

"You did good, Reindeer Games," he muttered, only for their ears. "You did good."

Loki's smirk grew. "Glad to hear it. Welcome to Alfheim."

* * *

_**The End**_

* * *

_**A/N: Since Erik never got to meet his namesake in 'At The Beginning' have a reunion on me! Thanks for the reviews and support, this story has just been crazy to write as well as a lot of fun. See you all soon!**_


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